On Saturday, the Alabama football program stormed into Baton Rouge and came away with a blowout road victory over the LSU Tigers to keep their college football playoff hopes very much alive as the season enters its home stretch. Alabama got a great game out of quarterback Keelon Russell in this one, although he did sustain a left ankle injury that briefly hobbled him at one point.

Now, head coach Kalen DeBoer has spoken on Russell's status heading into next week's game on the road vs the Vanderbilt Commodores.

“I'd expect him to do everything he can to get on the football field. And we're never gonna put him in an area of safety where that's a concern,” said DeBoer, per Charlie Potter of On3 Sports on X, formerly Twitter.

Russell is currently listed as day-to-day heading into the matchup.

It's been a whirlwind season for the Crimson Tide and for Russell himself so far in 2026. Earlier this year, Alabama's season looked to be on life support after two straight losses against the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers, both of which saw Russell struggle in his first experience against elite competition.

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However, Russell restored some confidence with his performance on the road against LSU, and thankfully, the ankle injury doesn't appear to be anything too severe.

The last time Alabama hit the field in Vanderbilt, they suffered one of the signature losses of the DeBoer era, one that they will hope to avenge this time around next Saturday. Kickoff between the Commodores and the Crimson Tide is set for Saturday at 12:45 pm ET from Nashville.