East Carolina head coach Blake Harrell predicts which QB he expects to see Week 1 vs. Alabama
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
East Carolina, headed into its second full year under Blake Harrell, opens its 2026 season with a tough one at Bryant-Denny Stadium against Alabama on Sept. 5. It’s only the second meeting between the two programs and the first since 1998.
The big position battle in Tuscaloosa is at quarterback, where either redshirt freshman and former five-star recruit Keelon Russell or senior Austin Mack will be Kalen DeBoer‘s QB1. That’s a decision that will be made “next week,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on Monday.
While that might be the case, Harrell is expecting to see either one.
“I’d imagine we see both,” Harrell told SiriusXM College Sports on Thursday, per 247Sports’ Mike Rodak.
While preseason camp has allowed DeBoer and Grubb to evaluate both players, Harrell noted that it’s not the same as a live game scenario.
“I think the quarterback position is so hard to simulate in practice,” he said. “You never get your ass kicked in practice. Nobody touches you. They don’t come near you. You don’t get hit. All the sudden you get in a game and you got a guy laying on top of you, you’re gonna find out a little bit about that guy.”
Regardless of who does (or doesn’t) play, ECU will be looking to deliver a signature victory for Harrell. The former Pirates defensive coordinator was named interim head coach in 2024 after the firing of Mike Houston and led them to a 5-1 finish.
After being promoted to permanent head coach ahead of the 2025 season, Harrell guided ECU to a 9-4 mark, its most wins since a 10-3 record in 2013.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
