TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Fans flocked to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday for a first look at the 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide football team.
Alabama reverted to a classic scrimmage format instead of last year’s version of A-Day, which was a two-hour practice open to the public.
Here is what you should know after the 2026 A-Day scrimmage.
- There is (or appears to be) separation in the quarterback race
The hottest topic of debate heading into the spring game was which quarterback would separate himself from the other in a neck-and-neck battle to be the starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide. In the eyes of the spectators, one quarterback clearly separated himself from the other.
Redshirt freshman Keelon Russell completed 21 of 33 passes, recording 228 yards and four touchdowns. Russell was accurate in short, medium and deep throws, progressed through reads like a veteran and extended plays frequently with his mobility.
However, Russell played well, not perfect. He missed a few open receivers and tried to fit the ball into some tight windows, which resulted in an interception by Dijon Lee Jr.
Junior Austin Mack completed 6 of 12 passes for 101 yards with one touchdown and one interception. While Mack did not have a terrible day, he made more mistakes and less positive plays than Russell did.
Mack led five drives, Russell led nine. Russell was the starting quarterback for all of the Tide’s red zone period at the end of the scrimmage.
Head Coach Kalen DeBoer explained his reasoning for why Russell was exclusively starting in the later part of the scrimmage.
“We had to limit Austin with some stuff,” he told reporters postgame. “This week was a little bit where Keelon got more reps just with some things Austin’s going through.”
DeBoer clarified that Mack was limited physically, saying he was just “dinged up a little bit.”
DeBoer and starting wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams both made it very clear that despite the performances Saturday, the quarterback race is still wide open.
Coleman-Williams praised Austin Mack’s performance this spring.
“He’s been extremely consistent throughout the first 13 practices,” Coleman-Williams said. “Today he still had a pretty good day, in my opinion. And one day doesn’t define us.”
- Despite having dangerous running backs, Alabama still struggles to run the ball.
The Tide running backs proved they can bulldoze defenders as well as swipe their ankles in the open field. Junior Daniel Hill and Freshman Trae’shawn Brown especially shined.
“There’s some backs who stood out, who can make the cuts and ran some people over when they needed to,” DeBoer said postgame. “They got it done but we still got some work to do.”
Despite the flashes of greatness, Hill, Brown, Kevin Riley and AK Dear only amassed 64 yards on 30 carries (per BamaCentral’s stats). That’s only 2.1 yards per carry.
Ryan Grubb still must prove to the Alabama faithful that his offense can run the ball.
DeBoer pointed out that the offensive line also has room to improve. He cited communication, technique and execution as areas to get better at before the regular season.
“This is not something that happens overnight,” he said. “They’ll continue to work. We still got a week ahead of us in practice, and we expect them to get better.”
- Alabama may have a new starting kicker in August.
Redshirt Junior and incumbent kicker Connor Talty is coming off a shaky 2025 season in which he was booed by his own fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium during a late-November contest against Eastern Illinois. He proceeded to not miss another field goal for the rest of the season.
However, Talty reverted to his mid-season struggles in the A-Day game, missing a 38-yard field goal.
One miss is normally not enough for a man to lose his position as a starting kicker. But normally backup kickers do not have a performance like Marshall transfer Lorcan Quinn.
The Donaghmore, Ireland native was perfect on the day, going 3 for 3 on field goals with a make from 28 yards and two makes from 47 yards.
There is still a long way to go before the regular season on, and the starting kicker job is not set in stone. That’s the way it has been since Quinn arrived on campus at the beginning of practice.
- This Kane Womack-led defense is tenacious.
All game long; the Alabama defense played with an intensity that is reflective of its defensive coordinator.
There is no question that the players and coaches on the defensive side of the ball love football. The sideline with the jerseys in white radiated with passion and tenacity, and it translated to the defensive play on the field.
The defense forced two turnovers and constantly wreaked havoc in the backfield. The run game only averaged 2.1 yards per carry, and every quarterback was under duress in the pocket.
This was a good showing from Womack’s unit. But it was not perfect. One issue the head coach addressed postgame was the inability to convert pressures into sacks.
“We just got to continue to execute when we have pressure,” DeBoer said. “That’s something we slotted as an area we can improve on from last season.”
DeBoer also emphasized that the defense needs to improve in fundamentals of the game such as tackling, effort and pursuit. There were many times where the defenders were exposed by the Alabama running backs when they tried to use arm tackles and took poor angles.
Alabama will conclude spring training with two practices on Tuesday and Thursday of this week.
