'Dynamite' vs. 'prototype NFL QB': Which Alabama QB wins battle?

No one knows the Alabama football quarterbacks as well as the players catching passes from them, standing in the huddle with them and sitting in meetings with them.It’s why players such as star receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams and rising tight end Marshall Pritchett bring perspective to which it’s worth listening. Both skill players took part in media day on Saturday at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. They helped describe Austin Mack and Keelon Russell as quarterbacks and people. Scouting Austin MackLet’s start with the scouting report on Austin Mack, the senior Alabama quarterback in his fourth year in Kalen DeBoer’s offensive system. “Austin’s an incredibly knowledgeable quarterback,” Pritchett said. “He’s a great buddy of mine. Very thankful for him. He’s a true prototype NFL quarterback. He’s a huge kid.” Pritchett said Mack is “very straightforward” in the huddle. “You get the call, you lineup, and Austin is going to deliver,” Pritchett said. “He is a very smart quarterback. Very dependable.” Meanwhile, as a person, Coleman-Williams called Mack a “super down-to-earth guy.” “He’s really super chill,” Coleman-Williams said. “Like, it’s either ball or chill. And that’s I feel like that’s what makes him the quarterback that he is because, obviously, his priority is in the right place, just thinking about wanting to be the best every single day and keeping his life as simple as possible.” 8/7/26 MFB Fall Camp Practice 3 Alabama Quarterback Austin Mack (10) Photo by Kent GidleyCrimson Tide Photos / UA AthleticsScouting Keelon RussellThere’s a reason Russell is the highest-rated recruit in program history, per 247Sports. “Keelon’s like dynamite in a bottle,” Pritchett said. “The guy’s an incredible athlete. Incredible football thrower. It’s so hard to explain his game if you haven’t kind of seen it fully in person every day like we do.” Pritchett tried his best to explain, nonetheless. “He just makes throws and it’s like, you rewind the film, you’re like, ‘there’s no way he just did that,’” Pritchett said. “How did he just do that? That’s the only way to explain Keelon. The guy’s dynamite.”Off the field, the sophomore Alabama quarterback is also “super stylish,” Coleman-Williams said. “He’s also super chill, but he loves clothing and I’ve asked him a couple times, like, where did you get that from?” Coleman-Williams said. “Just picking up on him. He loves fashion and he loves just being around the guys, just spending time with us.” Sometimes, that means getting some extra passes in on the weekend, or even going bowling. “He actually has his own bowling ball,” Coleman-Williams said. “He’s pretty good. Just thinking about him, any way that he can to be around the guys, he tends to do that.” 8/7/26 MFB Fall Camp Practice 3 Alabama Quarterback Keelon Russell (12) Photo by Kent GidleyCrimson Tide Photos / UA AthletiNick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. In 2024, NSMA named him Alabama Sportswriter of the Year, and the Football Writers Association of America honored him with the Edward...