Austin Mack returning to Alabama for 2026 season

Alabama redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Mack will return to Tuscaloosa for the 2026 season, the team’s collective, Yea Alabama, announced on Friday night. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed Mack has signed a new agreement with the Crimson Tide.

The news about Mack’s return Friday — which was soon followed by an announcement Five-Star Plus+ true freshman QB Keelon Russell had also signed a new deal to return for the 2026 season — comes just days after Simpson announced his plans to enter the 2026 NFL Draft on Wednesday, opening the door for a new Crimson Tide starting quarterback next season.

Mack appeared in just four games this past season, completing 24 of 32 pass attempts for just 228 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns while backing up junior starter Ty Simpson throughout 2025. Mack also rushed nine times for 22 yards and another touchdown this season.

The 6-foot-6 and 235-pound Mack saw the first significant action of his Crimson Tide career on New Year’s Eve when he replaced an injured Simpson in the second half of a 38-3 loss to No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl national quarterfinal. ESPN’s Kris Budden reported Simpson received treatment in the halftime locker room, but head coach Kalen DeBoer opted to put Mack in the game after the opening sequence of the third quarter. Budden said it was a “coach’s decision” to pull Simpson amid a 24-0 deficit against Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

Mack finished the Rose Bowl 11-of-16 passing for 103 yards in relief of Simpson, who suffered a bruised hip late in the first half and played Alabama’s first offensive series before being taken out. Mack played the Tide’s final three offensive series, including directing Alabama to its lone score of the night, a 28-yard field goal by kicker Conor Talty to cap a nine-play scoring drive on his first series.

Before the Rose Bowl, Mack’s most experience this past season came in Week 2’s 73-0 rout of Louisiana-Monroe when DeBoer rotated all three Alabama QBs following a Week 1 loss at Florida State.

Whether it’s ultimately Mack or Russell, the Crimson Tide will have a new starting quarterback for the second consecutive season in 2026. It’s the first time Alabama hasn’t had the same quarterback start back-to-back seasons since 2020 during Mac Jones‘ record-breaking lone season as QB1. In between, former QBs Jalen Milroe and Bryce Young started back-to-back seasons between 2021-24.