College
Football Latest
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell has thrown 18 TD passes and five interceptions in 2026. Scott Clause / USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
Alabama is expected to start Austin Mack at quarterback Saturday at Vanderbilt as starter Keelon Russell nurses an ankle injury, a program source told The Athletic. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the severity of the injury.
Mack, who lost the starting job to Russell in fall camp, would get his first college start. Russell was listed as probable on Alabama’s initial SEC availability report and is expected to be available if needed, but the Crimson Tide plan to give his ankle time to heal, ESPN first reported.
Advertisement
Russell hurt his left ankle in the third quarter of Alabama’s 31-13 win at LSU on Saturday. Mack warmed up while medical staff examined Russell in the medical tent, but Russell promptly returned, with his ankle taped, without missing an offensive snap. On the first play after LSU took a 13-10 lead, Russell found Rico Scott for a 57-yard gain. He scrambled for 10 yards to convert a third-and-9 on the drive, then hit Josh Ford for the go-ahead touchdown. Russell threw two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and finished 17 of 24 for 206 yards and three scores.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer on Monday described Russell as day to day and said the decision would depend on how Russell felt, what the medical staff advised and whether he could play at the level Alabama needed.
Mack has been with DeBoer for four seasons. He began his college career at Washington in 2023 and followed DeBoer to Alabama the next year. The 6-foot-6 quarterback has played in nine games, including four this season, and has completed three of four passes for 23 yards this year. His most extensive action came in last season’s Rose Bowl, when he replaced an injured Ty Simpson in the third quarter and completed 11 of 16 passes for 103 yards in a 38-3 College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Indiana.
Russell, a sophomore and 2025 five-star recruit from Duncanville, Texas, has started all nine games this season. He has thrown for 2,263 yards and 18 touchdowns against five interceptions, adding 276 rushing yards and five scores. He was named a Maxwell Award semifinalist Tuesday.
Alabama (7-2, 5-2 SEC) climbed from No. 5 to No. 3 in this week’s CFP rankings after beating LSU. The Tide have won two straight games since back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee and will host Chattanooga and Auburn to close the regular season.
Saturday will be Alabama’s first trip to Nashville, Tenn., since Vanderbilt beat the then-No. 1 Tide 40-35 in 2024, the Commodores’ first win over a top-ranked team. Alabama won last year’s rematch 30-14 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Vanderbilt (4-5, 1-5 SEC) picked up its first conference win of the season last week, beating Mississippi State 25-23.
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle
