College Football News for August 22: Alabama Names Russell Starting QB
It’s the final Saturday without college football for the next few months and there’s news surrounding . We’ve seen a fair amount of shuffling as programs gear up for the 2026 campaign and it makes for interesting things happening. Before games kick off next week, let’s take a look at some of the breaking news that came down the pike in the last 24 hours.
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We knew that Kaleb DeBoer needed a new starting quarterback this season. After all, Ty Simpson went in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Rams, creating a void on the depth chart. Meanwhile, the fanbase of the Crimson Tide seemed divided over who should get the starting job. It was a battle between senior Austin Mack and sophomore Keelon Russell. As it turned out, we got our answer on Saturday morning, as reports surfaced that Russell is the starting QB for Alabama.
The Crimson Tide, ranked #13 in the nation to start the year, open up at home against East Carolina on September 5. It’s likely Russell and Mack both see action in that game as Alabama projects to thrash a rebuilding Pirates program that lost both coordinators and a slew of starters on both sides of the ball from last year’s squad. Russell was 11 of 15 passing for 143 yards and two scores in limited action last year. Meanwhile, Mack hit 24 of 32 passes for 228 yards and two scores while adding 22 yards plus a score on the ground.
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Tommy Castellanos, who entered the NFL Draft only to go undrafted, entered the transfer portal Friday afternoon. He is chasing a fifth year of eligibility, as are dozens of other players, and lawsuits have been filed around the country. Castellanos spent last season at Florida State, where he started all 12 games for the Seminoles. He completed 180 of 309 passes for 2,760 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Castellanos added 557 yards and nine scores on the ground. In addition, he led the Seminoles to a season-opening upset win over Alabama.
As to where Castellanos might land, that is open to debate. Reports have him linked to Texas Tech, which lost their big transfer addition, Brendan Sorsby, earlier this summer. Will Hammond, the starter, is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year. While Kirk Francis has experience as a starter at Tulsa, having another veteran arm in the mix wouldn’t hurt. In his career, Castellanos has 32 starts under his belt at UCF, Boston College and Florida State. He threw for 6,449 yards with 48 touchdown passes and 28 interceptions. In addition, he added 1,984 yards and 24 scores in his career on the ground.
It remains to be seen where Castellanos will end up. For that matter, the ongoing lawsuits with players seeking a fifth year of eligibility rage on in courtrooms across the country. There are schools that could use a veteran QB option so Castellanos shouldn’t lack suitors. However, the question of whether there is money left in NIL budgets for a program to offer.
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College Football News for August 22: Alabama Names Russell Starting QB
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