Ahead of the 2026 campaign, all eyes in Tuscaloosa were on the quarterback Kalen DeBoer would choose to replace Ty Simpson. Finally, Keelon Russell won the QB battle over veteran Austin Mack. The Alabama head coach chose the redshirt freshman over a QB who had experience with his system dating back to his days in Washington. According to Nick Saban, Russell’s success will depend on a critical factor that plagued Alabama’s offense last year.

“Keelon Russell, on the other hand, I think this guy’s very talented,” Nick Saban said during Pat McAfee’s live telecast on September 3. “How ready he is to play – I can’t really speak to that, but I think the guy’s very talented. I do think that the big question for Alabama is going to be, again, How have they fixed the offensive line?”

“How is that going to impact the quarterback position? But I do know that Keelon Russell is probably the best guy they have to be able to be a playmaker and make plays when things break down and aren’t perfect, which may be really important for Alabama’s offense this year.”

A five-star recruit in the 2025 class, Russell came to college on the back of leading his Duncanville High School to back-to-back Texas 6A Division 1 state championships. Last year, Russell saw limited snaps, appearing in just two games. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

During the 2025 campaign, Alabama’s offensive line allowed 33 total sacks and 183 QB pressures. That places them near the bottom of the SEC in pass protection efficiency. Ty Simpson faced pressure on around 35% of his dropbacks. In some games, it looked like he was forced to scramble or flush out of the pocket on almost every snap.

But it could still have worked had Alabama gotten a run game going. The Tide managed just 104.1 rushing yards per game. This was also due to the injuries in the RB room. However, the run game completely vanished against ranked opponents. In the SEC Championship game against Georgia, the Tide had negative three yards in rushing. Against Indiana, Alabama managed just 23 rushing yards. That can’t happen next season.

Saban knows the media loves to obsess over quarterback metrics, but he is forcing public attention toward the line of scrimmage. If Alabama’s offense stalls, it shouldn’t be entirely blamed on the quarterback. Rather, it falls entirely on DeBoer’s ability to structurally rebuild a front that lost almost all of its starting snaps from a year ago.

Alabama lost four primary starters on the line. LT Kadyn Proctor declared for the draft. The same goes for Parker Brailsford, Jaeden Roberts, and Kam Dewberry. Wilkin Formby, who started 14 games in 2025 for Kalen DeBoer, transferred to Texas A&M. The Tide could return only Michael Carroll from its 2025 starters.

Opposing defensive coordinators will aggressively test Alabama’s young line early with delayed blitzes and defensive line twists. Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb are trying to mitigate this situation. They will be relying on highly experienced veteran transfers and homegrown talent like Jackson Lloyd and Will Sanders to build chemistry quickly before the heart of the SEC schedule hits. 

Alabama has used the fall to its advantage. Its starting offensive line has officially been solidified ahead of the season opener against East Carolina. The fall camp progressed under the new offensive line coach, Adrian Klemm, who has generated significant optimism.

Transfer Racin Delgatty anchors the interior line. He has been penciled in as the primary option since arriving from Cal Poly. As the unit’s lone returning starter, Michael Carroll, was moved from tackle to the interior guard spot. He will act as the physical anchor for the new line. The Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James won a highly competitive battle over freshman standout Nick Brooks to claim the starting role on the edge.