Hope, doubt and a high-profile QB battle: A-Day set to offer first look at Alabama's identity for 2026 season

On what should be a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with temperatures touching low 80s, fans from all across the state will head to Bryant-Denny Stadium to get a look at who Alabama's next quarterback might be. 

Alabama's annual A-Day spring game this weekend puts a spotlight on one of, if not the, most interesting quarterback battles in the country. Until Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer makes his pick between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, it is the question that looms over the state until this fall. 

Spring games don't mean what they used to. Plenty of coaches have deemphasized them in recent years, if not moved away from them altogether. Some of that was for fear of players jumping -- or being seduced, really -- into the transfer portal. For others, the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze anymore with dwindling fan attendance compared to the highs programs saw last decade. They once made up a nice chunk of ESPN's spring programming; this year, Alabama's spring game won't be televised. If you want to see how Mack matches up against Russell, you'll have to make the trek to Bryant-Denny. 

Alabama QB battle at forefront of A-Day

There are plenty of questions around this year's Alabama team -- some of which we'll get to later -- but there's no doubt the quarterback is the most important. While all four of this past season's College Football Playoff semifinalists featured a transfer quarterback, Alabama opted to buck the trend and roll with one of its internal options. Mack, of course, is a transfer from Washington but has been with DeBoer since the beginning at Alabama. 

It's an interesting test on what DeBoer and his staff value more. Mack has been around DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb longer and has a stronger command of the offense. Whereas the ceiling is higher with Russell, a former five-star recruit. Alabama staffers have long been very high on Russell's potential and didn't want to risk him leaving if they brought in an experienced transfer. There's a lot to like about Russell, but there's also plenty of unknowns. He has, after all, only thrown 15 collegiate passes to date. 

DeBoer has said they've mostly split the reps between the two quarterbacks this spring. In the most recent scrimmage, neither earned sterling reviews from the head coach, who said it wasn't "the sharpest day" for either. 

"I'd say it wasn't up to the standard that they've had," he said. "But there's no doubt that, again, if we had to play a game, there's some things that do really well, that we're confident in, that they can execute at a high level."

How much fans see of that Saturday is the question. It's unlikely to be make-or-break for either in a QB battle that should stretch until fall camp, but a strong performance could give one added confidence. It could also help calm fan concerns and maybe even boost confidence around a team that Las Vegas projected to win 8.5 games in 2026. 

More roster questions for the Tide

The quarterback battle understandably gets the most attention, but there are questions throughout the roster. Does Alabama have a bona fide No. 1 running back? Losing NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers, who flipped and signed with Texas, was a significant blow and put increased pressure on talented yet inexperienced guys like AK Dear, Trae'Shawn Bolden, Kevin Riley and five-star EJ Crowell (who has been held out most of this spring and seems unlikely to play Saturday). Daniel Hill is the back with the most returning experience after rushing for 284 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. The running game was a real issue for Alabama last season, and there's not a clear solution (yet) coming out of spring. 

With four of five starters gone from last year's offensive line, how well does it hold up against the more experienced Alabama defense? Left tackle Jackson Lloyd is highly regarded, but there's still a lot riding on finding viable starters out of a transfer haul that includes presumed starting center Racin Delgatty (Cal Poly), two offensive guards who could push for time at multiple positions (Texas' Nick Brooks and Ole Miss' Ethan Fields) and a pair of Michigan transfers (Ty Haywood and Kaden Strayhorn). The hope is that first-year offensive line coach Adrian Klemm can get the best out of a unit that disappointed last season. 

And then there is the question of who Mack/Russell will be throwing to this fall. Alabama would love to see a new, improved version of Ryan Williams-Coleman, who is sporting a new last name and a new jersey number this season. The talent is there, but he disappeared for long stretches last season and wasn't nearly as reliable as Germie Bernard. On paper, Alabama's WR group with Williams-Coleman, Lotzeir Brooks (who scored 2 TDs against Oklahoma) and NC State transfer Noah Rogers should be the strength of the offense. 

Skepticism abounds for Alabama entering 2026

Up and down the roster, there are more questions than answers on a team featuring 40 new players and coming off a 38-3 Rose Bowl loss to Indiana. Multiple college football personnel sources have expressed skepticism that this year's Alabama roster has the requisite elite talent and experience to win big. Ever his nature, DeBoer has taken an optimistic view of the early challenges with this group. 

"We've got a long ways to go," he said. "We probably had more, for sure, knowns with guys returning a year ago than we do this year. I can point to position groups that are pretty veteran, that got a lot of veterans, especially the defensive backfield.

"But there's some good in that, too, because there's a lot of competition that exists. There's a piece on the football field that guys are fighting not just for our team but their own positions and spots to get out there and make some plays."

As DeBoer noted, there is a long way to go until Alabama opens the season Sept. 5 against East Carolina. Plenty of time for the offense to work out kinks and for DeBoer and Co. to come up with the best positional combinations in a critical Year 3. At times, Alabama's offense was less than the sum of its parts last season. With fewer entrenched starters and bold-faced names coming into this season, perhaps the opposite will be true. 

Saturday will give a peek at what's to come. Fans are looking for reasons to believe and be on the lookout for new favorite players after QB Ty Simpson, running back Jam Miller, receivers Bernard and Isaiah Horton and tight end Josh Cuevas are all gone from last year's squad. These are the kind of moments that shape what number jersey a fan buys ahead of the season. 

Whether fans leave the stadium with an extra hop in their step or pessimistically believing this could be a long fall will all depend on how Russell and Mack look Saturday. It's amazing what a few big touchdown throws can do for a fanbase's psyche.