Alabama football enters into the spring practice period with a quarterback competition primed to unfold over the next six months. Austin Mack is not one of the two legitimate options in the mix.
However, the redshirt freshman signal-caller is already standing out in a big way. Literally.
Mack is 6-foot-6 with a ridiculous wingspan!
He was towering over his teammates during the first day of spring ball.
The former four-star prospect committed to play for Kalen DeBoer at Washington as part of the college football recruiting Class of 2023. Austin Mack redshirted last fall and followed his head coach south during the offseason.
As of right now, the Alabama depth chart does not bode well for him to get on the field right away.
Jalen Milroe is the incumbent starter. Former five-star recruit Ty Simpson is a redshirt sophomore and plans to compete. Dylan Lonergan, who was ranked behind Mack in last year’s class, is the odd man out.
It feels like Lonergan might choose to transfer. Simpson may also do the same if he does not beat out Milroe this year, though that would likely set him up to start next season.
Regardless of how things shake out in the short term, DeBoer loved Mack out of high school. His tape is impressive.
And the quarterback obviously loves his coach enough to join him in Tuscaloosa. There is a path to the starting job, but it might take some time to get there.
In the meantime, he is the tallest signal-caller on the roster by a large margin.
Milroe, Lonergan and Simpson are all listed 6-foot-2. Mack has (at least) four inches on all three!
Crimson Tide fans are excited about the potential of Mack, just like their new head coach. It will be interesting to see where he lands on the depth chart during his first year at his new school!