Sports

Alabama Made Austin Mack A Hype Video For His First Start Just To Pull The Rug Out From Under Him

#College Football
by Last Updated
Sep 26, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterbacks Austin Mack (10) and Keelon Russell (12) warm up before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

David Leong-Imagn Images

Sep 26, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterbacks Austin Mack (10) and Keelon Russell (12) warm up before a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.


In an era highlighted by the transfer portal and NIL, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Austin Mack is an anomaly in the college football world.

Mack, a four-star recruit from California, first committed and signed for Washington before following Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa. But he didn’t win the starting job, sitting behind Jalen Milroe in 2024 and Ty Simpson in 2025.

But Mack didn’t transfer. Instead, the senior stayed at Alabama and competed for the starting job with Keelon Russell, a competition he ultimately lost out on.

However, when Russell suffered a left ankle injury in Bama’s win over LSU, it finally gave Mack the opportunity he’d been waiting for.

Mack was widely expected to start the Crimson Tide’s SEC matchup with Vanderbilt on Saturday. And Alabama even posted a video on social media talking about Mack’s “journey” to where he is now.

It was all setting up for an extremely feel-good story.

There’s just one problem.

Mack didn’t end up getting the start. Ultimately, Russell made late progress and then took part in warmups ahead of the game on Saturday.

He then looked good again in warmups, and DeBoer, understandably, opted to go with his starter ahead of Mack. But fans still feel like Mack was hard done by, given all the talk in the week leading up to the game.

What do you think? Was this fair play by DeBoer or Alabama? Or was Mack wronged?