Kalen DeBoer recaps A-Day showing for Austin Mack, Keelon Russell
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Alabama’s A-Day scrimmage on Saturday ended with 6 red zone periods. Austin Mack quarterbacked the Tide for the first possession. Rising sophomore Keelon Russell, Mack’s primary competition for the starting job in 2026, handled the last 5 possessions for Alabama.
“We just had to limit Austin with some stuff. That was why,” coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters after the scrimmage when asked about the unequal share of reps. “This week was a little bit where Keelon got more reps just with some things Austin is going through.”
DeBoer said Mack is “dinged up.” DeBoer was ultra brief in his responses to questions about Mack’s health, saying at one point the redshirt junior is “good, for the most part.”
It was Russell, though, who looked the part on Saturday.
Including the extra red zone work, Russell finished the day unofficially completing 20 of his 32 passes for 229 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Mack went 7-for-13 for 95 yards with a score and a pick.
(Those numbers come from AL.com’s Nick Kelly.)
Two of Russell’s touchdown passes came prior to the red zone periods. He also led the offense to a pair of field goals. Unlike a more traditional structure for a spring game, Alabama’s team wasn’t split in two. The full offense went against the full defense.
DeBoer was not asked to compare the 2 passers’ performances. Instead, he was asked whether the room took a step forward.
“I thought they looked more comfortable today,” he responded.
DeBoer noted instances where the offense didn’t line up with confidence. “That is stuff we have to work on next week,” he said. Clean operation in the red zone, DeBoer said, is important even at this stage.
Given Mack’s less-than-clean bill of health, little might come from Saturday’s scrimmage in terms of separating the two quarterbacks in this race. Fans and local media felt Russell looked like the stronger player. There’s a big caveat if Mack is battling an ailment.
Saturday’s scrimmage was practice No. 13 of 15 this spring. The Tide will hit the practice field again next Tuesday and Thursday before officially closing out the period. Then it’s on to summer workouts.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
