Washington quarterback transfer Austin Mack commits to Alabama
Former Washington quarterback Austin Mack has committed to Alabama, he told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Mack is officially to first addition to the roster for newly-hired head coach Kalen DeBoer in Tuscaloosa, following the Huskies offensive staff from Seattle.
With Michael Penix Jr. running the show for Washington last season, Mack took a redshirt season. He did not get any playing time during his short stint with the Huskies before entering the NCAA transfer portal. Mack committed in order to play under DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Still having four years of eligibility remaining, Mack will do so while wearing an Alabama jersey.
Mack was originally a member of the 2024 class but reclassified and enrolled at Washington early. He played high school football at Folsom (CA) High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 219 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Coming out of high school, other West Coast programs such as Cal, Stanford, Oregon, and Oregon State were in on Mack. No SEC school ever extended an offer but the quarterback did visit Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns in December 2022.
Austin Mack adds to Alabama quarterback room
Mack will be the sixth quarterback Alabama has on its roster, having a ton of young talent inside of the program.
Of course, Jalen Milroe is the headliner after spending the 2023 season as the starter. He developed into a leader for Alabama as they made a run to the College Football Playoff. DeBeor has not discussed the roster with the media quite yet but Milroe should be in line to start in 2024.
Ty Simpson worked as the backup behind Milroe and will not be leaving the program. He posted a picture of him and former Alabama OC Tommy Rees recently but is expected to stay. The former five-star prospect had his opportunity to start in 2023 but wound up finishing second in a lengthy quarterback competition.
Then comes the younger players, with Dylan Lonergan being a second-year player. He was a member of the 2023 recruiting class — as was Eli Holstein. However, once Nick Saban announced his retirement, Holstein entered the portal and wound up at Pitt.
Mack will line up with Lonergan from a classification standpoint. But as far as experience within the program, he and Five-Star Plus+ true freshman Julian Sayin will be in their first year. Sayin finished as the No. 1 quarterback per the On3 Industry Rankings and No. 5 overall.
As Alabama goes through a transition period under DeBoer, the quarterback room seems to be healthy moving forward. Mack’s addition only adds to the strength.