Alabama's choice between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell highlights college football's biggest QB competitions
Has the new era of player movement cut down on the number of open quarterback competitions?
There isn’t a proliferation of schools still looking for their starter as fall camps get underway ahead of the 2026 season. But there are still a few prominent teams who haven’t picked their starter. Here’s a rundown of the biggest quarterback competitions heading into August.
Alabama Crimson Tide
-
Austin Mack or Keelon Russell
The most high-profile quarterback competition of the summer is in Tuscaloosa, where the Tide are looking for Ty Simpson’s successor after he was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams after just one season as a starter. Mack, who came from Washington with coach Kalen DeBoer, was Simpson’s backup in 2025. He threw 32 passes for 228 yards and also tossed two touchdowns and filled in when Simpson was injured in the Rose Bowl loss to Indiana.
Russell was a five-star recruit in the class of 2025 and the No. 2 quarterback in the country behind Michigan’s Bryce Underwood. He also got spot duty and threw 15 passes a season ago. He could add a dimension to Alabama’s run game similar to the one that Jalen Milroe provided when he was the starter before Simpson.
“I think they’re high-level, elite quarterbacks,” DeBoer said at SEC media days. “Fortunately we have them both in our program and it’s going to be a competition that’s going to lead to a tough decision, one we’re fortunate to have.”
Clemson Tigers
-
Christopher Vizzina or Tait Reynolds
Vizzina is — at the moment — Clemson’s starting QB heading into Week 1. But the Tigers are here because coach Dabo Swinney has made it clear that Reynolds is still competing for the job that Vizzina currently holds.
Reynolds was a three-star recruit in the class of 2026 and the No. 6 player in the state of Arizona. He’s already worked his way up the depth chart to be Vizzina’s backup.
“Tait separated himself and became the [backup],” Swinney said at ACC media days. “The team needed clarity. The team needed — we needed clarity going into the summer. It became very obvious that, hey, these were the two guys that gave us the best chance.
“So now coming out of spring, now Tait, he can put his eyes on CV, alright, and he can go beat him out, or CV can feel the heat from somebody else. So either way, we’re going to get better because competition makes us better. You know, that’s just football. That’s the way it is. We’re very — we don’t have a ton of experience at the position. That’s well-documented, but we believe in the talent that we have.”
Vizzina was Cade Klubnik’s backup in 2025 and threw 71 total passes. Whoever wins the job has an immediate test. Clemson visits LSU in Week 1.
Tennessee Volunteers
-
Faizon Brandon or George McIntyre
MacIntyre threw nine passes a season ago while Brandon is a true freshman who enrolled in January. Brandon was a five-year recruit in the class of 2026 and the No. 3 quarterback in the country according to Rivals. If he wins the starting job, he’ll give Tennessee’s offense an added dimension with his running ability.
MacIntyre was a four-star recruit in the class of 2025 and was the No. 15 quarterback in his class. With RB DeSean Bishop and WRs Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews back in the fold, there’s plenty of experience around whomever ends up as the starter.
“You have to have complete control and command of what we’re doing offensively,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said at SEC media days of what he looks for in a starting QB. “You got to understand protections, you got to be able to check and adjust. Run game, loaded box checks. Those guys are making the decision on every play.
“At the end of the day, the guy that will be the guy is the guy that’s going to have complete control of what we’re doing and puts us in the best position to win football games and score points.”
The Vols also added former Colorado QB Ryan Staub through the transfer portal, but he’s likely a backup option.
Vanderbilt Commodores
-
Blaze Berlowitz, Jared Curtis, Jack Elliott or Whit Muschamp
Curtis is by far the most highly touted of the four. But he’s also a true freshman. Curtis flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt ahead of the early signing period and decided to stay in his home state. He was the No. 3 player in the class of 2026, according to Rivals, and the No. 2 QB behind Houston’s Keisean Henderson.
However, coach Clark Lea has not named Curtis the starter yet. He’s said all four quarterbacks are in the running to succeed Diego Pavia after Pavia was a Heisman finalist a season ago. Berlowitz was the No. 2 QB in 2025, but threw just 17 passes and had 11 rushing attempts. Muschamp threw three passes and Elliott is a redshirt freshman. It seems likely that Curtis is going to see significant playing time in 2026, even if he’s not the Week 1 starter.
Iowa Hawkeyes
-
Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski
Can Iowa throw for more than 150 yards a game for the first time since 2022? That’s not a facetious question, either. After averaging 157 passing yards per game four seasons ago, the Hawkeyes have averaged 119, 132 and 143 passing yards in each of the past three seasons.
Brown, a former transfer from Auburn, was Mark Gronowski’s primary backup a season ago and is a senior in 2026. He threw for 107 yards on 21 pass attempts in 2025. Hecklinski started his career at Wake Forest in 2024 before transferring to Iowa and appearing in two games last season. Given his ability to run the football, Hecklinski might be the favorite to start in Week 1 against Northern Illinois.
West Virginia Mountaineers
-
Scotty Fox or Michael Hawkins
Fox got the most playing time of four West Virginia QBs in 2025 despite being a true freshman. He was 101-of-170 passing for 1,276 yards and threw seven touchdowns and six interceptions. But he also rushed for just 201 yards and three touchdowns.
Enter Hawkins, a transfer from Oklahoma. He was John Mateer’s backup in 2025 after playing in seven games in 2024. Overall, Hawkins is 91-of-147 passing for 950 yards and six TDs with two interceptions over nine games with the Sooners and has rushed for 262 yards and two scores. Hawkins feels like a great fit in coach Rich Rodriguez’s offense. And a change of scenery could be a big boost to his career.
Cincinnati Bearcats
-
JC French, Samaj Jones or Liam O’Brien
French arrives at Cincinnati after three seasons at Georgia Southern. After appearing in 10 games in 2023, French became the Eagles’ starter in 2024. A season ago, he was 248-of-389 for 2,929 yards and 20 TDs with eight interceptions. He also rushed for 315 yards and six touchdowns.
O’Brien transferred from Penn, where he was 211-of-314 for 2,376 yards and 19 TDs and six interceptions a season ago. The senior has one year of eligibility remaining after four years at the FCS level. Jones was Cincy’s No. 3 QB in 2025 and attempted seven passes.
