When Austin Mack entered the transfer portal following the departure of head coach Kalen DeBoer, no one was surprised by the move. DeBoer has been very vocal about the future of Mack and now the 6-foot-6-inch quarterback is following his head coach to Alabama. Another not-so-shocking development.
The freshman quarterback didn’t see any action during the 2023 season where the Washington Huskies finished 14-1 and the runner-up to the Michigan Wolverines in the CFP. Mack will have four years of eligibility and was seen as the expected starter for Washington in 2024. Is he still going to get a fair shot at starting for the Tide?
BREAKING: Former Washington QB Austin Mack has announced his commitment to #Alabama
The 6-foot-6, 226-pounder has four years of eligibility remaining
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🗞️ https://t.co/ehbv8B4ONR pic.twitter.com/rZgnP2gNdo
— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) January 18, 2024
Mack will likely go into a quarterback battle for the starting job in 2024 against incumbent starter, Jalen Milroe. After a slow start to the 2023 season, including a benching after the Texas game, Milroe caught fire leading Alabama to the SEC title and CFP berth. It would be quite the battle for these two to duke it out over the next several months leading up to the 2024 season.
Mack joined Washington as part of the 2023 recruiting cycle. He was ranked as the No. 8 quarterback in the country out of Folsom, California. The four-star prospect was ranked as the No. 214 player in the country according to 247Sports composite ranking.
This is a bit of welcomed news for the Tide after the mass exodus that has occured in the wake of Nick Saban’s retirement announcement.