The Alabama Crimson Tide were thrown a curveball this offseason when legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. With that, the Crimson Tide led an aggressive and quick search for Saban's replacement, and they hired former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer. This is a huge move, considering he helped build the Washington program into a contender and led them to the CFP National Championship Game this season.
Much like with any program that hires a head coach, some players decide to enter the transfer portal. For the new head coach, it is up to them to find adequate and sometimes better options to address those positions of need. Well, DeBoer landed a big name to potentially succeed Alabama starting quarterback Jalen Milroe, who is staying at the program in 2024.
According to On3 Sports' Hayes Fawcett, Alabama landed the commitment of former Washington true freshman Austin Mack. Mack will have four years of eligibility, per Fawcett.
BREAKING: Former Washington True Freshman QB Austin Mack has Committed to Alabama, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 18, 2024
The 6’6 230 QB will have 4 years of eligibility remaining
Reclassified to 2023 from the ‘24 Class last February https://t.co/I5JYxg22jL pic.twitter.com/PNKl2pTidH
Alabama lands former Washington QB Austin Mack
Mack, a four-star recruit, enrolled at Washington last year to play for DeBoer. With the head coach moving to the SEC to lead the Crimson Tide, Mack is following him. Mack didn't see any playing time this past season, as he redshirted.
As a senior in high school, Mack completed 269-of-382 pass attempts for 3,498 yards, 40 touchdowns, and five interceptions, per his profile on the Huskies' official website.
While Mack would certainly slot in as the starting quarterback after Milroe, that is not exactly set in stone. That's because the Crimson Tide secured the enrollment of five-star recruit Julian Sayin this year. Sayin, the second-overall recruit in California and third-ranked quarterback in the 2024 class (per 247Sports), signed his letter of intent this past December.
This past season, Milroe overcame an early-season benching to lead the Crimson Tide to an SEC Championship win over the Georgia Bulldogs and a College Football Playoff berth. In 13 games, Milroe threw for 2,834 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 65.8 percent of his passes. Additionally, Milroe ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on 161 carries.
Whenever Milroe is no longer the starting quarterback, there will be a competition for the QB1 job. While Mack and Sayin are two candidates, let's not forget that Ty Simpson, who was a redshirt freshman this past season, is still on the roster. But, the Crimson Tide and DeBoer do have a pretty solid succession plan at the quarterback position.