Alabama QBs Austin Mack, Keelon Russell react to Ty Simpson being drafted by Rams
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Alabama quarterbacks Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are currently in an all-out battle for the starting job in Tuscaloosa in 2026.
And Mack and Russell were also in an all-out battle at this time last year with Ty Simpson for the job as starting signal caller in 2025.
But all of that competition is healthy at Alabama, and when it comes to it, the quarterback trio were all on the same team last season and continue to share that Bama brotherhood even now. That collective camaraderie was on full display on Thursday night during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, when Simpson heard his name called and the 2 QBs he left behind in T-Town went crazy because of it.
Simpson was taken No. 13 overall by the Los Angeles Rams, as Alabama extended its streak of having multiple first-round picks in the draft to 10 years. The Rams put their future trust in Simpson, and Mack and Russell showed their undying support with their immediate reactions going viral. Mack and Russell were back at the Crimson Tide’s football facility while Simpson heard his name called rather early in Pittsburgh.
Alabama QBs Austin Mack and Keelon Russell react to the Rams drafting Ty Simpson in Round 1 (from the Tide's football facility).
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) April 24, 2026
(via lilmack_2 and _pres1dentkee) pic.twitter.com/PB60vbk4wB
The viral reactions from Russell and Mack were straight from the heart, and they contained the raw excitement you would expect from a trio of quarterbacks who once shared the same practice field in Tuscaloosa and who now got to experience something altogether different on Thursday night. Simpson had his NFL dreams realized, and the duo he left behind couldn’t have been any happier for him.
Simpson is heading to the West Coast, and with Round 1 coming to a close there was still time for more SEC players to be selected on Thursday night. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds for some more SEC talent coming off the board in Day 1:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
