SEC Media Days: Kalen DeBoer enters pivotal third season as Alabama head coach
TAMPA, Fla. (WAKA) – Action 8 Lace Up Sports is in Tampa, Florida, for SEC Media Days, where Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer prepares for his third season while having to decide on who will start as quarterback.
So far, there’s no clear indication whether it will be Keelon Russell or Austin Mack who will replace Ty Simpson, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in this year’s NFL Draft.
In DeBoer’s first two seasons, the Crimson Tide went 9-4 and 11-4. In the 2025 season, Alabama beat Oklahoma in the first round of the playoffs, which was a rematch from Alabama’s loss to the Sooners in the regular season, before falling to eventual National Champion Indiana 38-3 in the Rose Bowl. That lopsided loss still stings for Alabama fans, some of whom have questioned the toughness of the team and of DeBoer himself, especially as he followed in the footsteps of the legendary Nick Saban.
Action 8 Sports Analyst John Longshore says he believes the Crimson Tide will be a much more physical team this season because they have to be in order to win at the highest levels of the SEC.
Watch the video above to hear from Coach DeBoer and from Longshore on who he thinks will be the starting quarterback.
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