The Crimson Tide’s quarterback position sees a new addition, with Austin Mack, the former signal-caller for the Washington Huskies, making the move to Alabama alongside his former coach Kalen DeBoer.
While the Tide has already secured Jalen Milroe, a Heisman candidate, as their starter for 2024, Mack’s arrival raises the possibility that he could potentially take over as the starting quarterback in the future. The departure of QB Julian Sayin to the transfer portal, following the retirement announcement of former Tide coach Nick Saban, has created an opening in the quarterback lineup. Alongside Sayin, eight other players have also transferred from Alabama since Saban’s departure, signaling a period of transition for the team.
Austin Mack stands out as the initial Huskies player to make the move to Tuscaloosa, but it appears that more could follow suit. Having sat out the entire 2023 season as a redshirt freshman, Mack retains four years of eligibility, presenting an opportunity for him to potentially step into a prominent role in the Crimson Tide’s quarterback lineup in the future.
Let’s take a closer look at what Bama will be getting in the 17-year-old quarterback.
A Bit of Background on New Alabama QB Austin Mack
At 6-foot-6 and 226 pounds, Mack is big, strong and full of potential. He’s also incredibly young, as he turns 18 in June of 2024.
The native of Loomis, California, completed three years at Folsom High during high school. Opting to graduate early after his junior season, he chose to forgo his senior year and enroll at Washington, where he took a redshirt.
In his last season at Folsom, he exhibited impressive stats, going 269-of-382 for 3,498 yards with 40 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 14 games. He also earned a quarterback rating of 128.4.
Following the 2023 season, Austin Mack received praise from coach DeBoer, who spoke highly of him, stating, “Austin Mack has been amazing this year… He’s been everything and then some of what we had hoped for and expected. The guy’s going to play some big-time ball for us here in this program. He had just a great fall, got a lot of reps even in team sessions. Wasn’t just hanging out on the scout team. He was with us, and you can just see what he’s capable of. Super excited about him,” as reported by The Seattle Times.
DeBoer made this statement before assuming the role of head coach at Alabama, but it is evident that he has a tremendous amount of confidence in Mack’s skills.
Former QB Brock Huard Had Glowing Things to Say About Alabama’s Newest QB
Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard spent three seasons playing in the pros and has served as a college football analyst since 2019. Huard had nothing but glowing things to say about Mack and his capacity for growth.
“He possesses immense size, standing at 6 feet 6 inches or more, weighing over 240 pounds, and boasting size 17 feet,” Huard commented about Mack during a January 19 appearance on The Next Round. He also highlighted that the young quarterback served as QB2 for a significant portion of the 2023 season.
Huard pointed out the remarkable situation where, in the event of a significant issue with Michael Penix, a 17-year-old Austin Mack would have been the quarterback for the undefeated team. Reflecting on this, Huard stated, “It does not surprise me in this crazy world that Julian is in the transfer portal because he can read the room… I know Alabama fans are freaking out because Julian is an immensely talented kid. I promise you when you see this guy (Mack) throw, when you see Austin Mack in person, when he walks into the room, his presence is enormous.”
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