Austin Mack to start Alabama vs Vanderbilt with Keelon Russell injury | Report

NASHVILLE — Alabama football quarterback Keelon Russell is expected to not start against Vanderbilt Saturday, Nov. 14, according to ESPN, after suffering an ankle injury against LSU.Austin Mack is expected to start for the Crimson Tide in its first road trip against the Commodores since falling to Vanderbilt in 2024.Russell had an ankle injury in Alabama's 31-13 road win against LSU, but returned after a short stint in the injury tent and threw three touchdown passes. He finished 17-24 with 206 passing yards and three touchdowns. In four games, Mack has completed three of his four pass attempts for 23 yards. He also has 2 rushing yards and a touchdown.“He’s a great player,” DeBoer said of Mack. “Definitely should not be thinking of him as a guy who’s just going to be a backup, because that’s not how we think of him.” Here's what you need to know about Mack. Austin Mack lost the Alabama QB battle to Keelon Russell Mack fell short of becoming Alabama's starting quarterback in 2026. Despite being the quarterback that replaced Ty Simpson in the Rose Bowl after Simpson suffered a game-ending injury, Mack fell short of the starting job. Russell was announced as Alabama's starter days after the Crimson Tide's second fall camp scrimmage, beating the fourth-year veteran. "This is tough stuff. This is grown man stuff. He's never fallen off, he's never wavered about how he's going to approach things. He's a pro. He loves this team," DeBoer said of Mack. "He has a great relationship with Keelon and he's been out there supporting him already, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he's invested so much into it just as a human being, and the human aspect side of it is going to hurt."Mack appeared in Alabama's 48-10 win against East Carolina completing one of two pass attempts for 4 yards, adding one rush for 6 yards.Austin Mack followed Kalen DeBoer to Alabama Mack reclassified a year early and signed with DeBoer at Washington, backing up Michael Penix Jr. in the Huskies' run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. When DeBoer left Washington and joined Alabama, Mack entered the NCAA transfer portal and signed with the Crimson Tide days later. “DeBoer and (Ryan) Grubb could have gone to XYZ school and we would have followed them,” Lisa Mack, Austin's mother, told The Tuscaloosa News. “Did it happen to be Alabama, which happens to have this phenomenal historical value and this reputation and the fanbase? It was just icing on the cake that it was this iconic university." Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Austin Mack to start Alabama vs Vanderbilt with Keelon Russell injury | Report