ATHENS — Kalen DeBoer likes the way Gunner Stockton is playing at Georgia, but he really, really, likes the start Keelon Russell is off to at Alabama.

DeBoer shared his thoughts on the quarterbacks heading into the showdown between his No. 6-ranked Crimson Tide (5-0, 3-0 SEC) and the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0) on the league’s coaches teleconference this week.

“Gunner Stockton, operating at an extremely high level,” DeBoer said about the matchup. “So, just an all-around team there, and it’s a great challenge for us on Saturday.”

DeBoer said at his Georgia game week press conference that Stockton “keeps getting better,” and noted how Stockton has directed an offense that has been “jumping on top of teams.”

Russell, a second-year quarterback DeBoer flipped from his original commitment to SMU, has panned out just like the third-year Alabama coach expected.

“It just was a guy that had the ‘it’ factor in our mind,” DeBoer said of Russell, who was the No. 2-rated player in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Russell won two Texas 6A D-1 state championships -- the highest classification in the state — at Duncanville, and was the 2024-2025 National Gatorade Player of the Year.

“The best thing is, the things that don’t go perfect, he learns from them, and really, you don’t see those things show up in the next game or games down the road,” DeBoer said. “Him giving us what wee want, making decisions, (and) when things do break down, he doesn’t panic or anything like that, he kept the chains moving and putting points on the board.”

Things to Know about Georgia at Alabama

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa

Rankings and records: Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC), No. 2 in AP Top 25 Poll. Georgia, No. 5 in Sagarin computer rankings; Alabama (5-0, 3-0 SEC), No. 1 (of 266) in Sagarin computer rankings.

TV/radio: ABC; Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network radio; Sirius XM 84.

Weather: Showers likely, cloud and breezy with a chance of thunderstorms, temperatures in the lower 60s.

Series: Alabama leads 45-27-4.

Last meeting: Georgia beat Alabama 28-7 in the 2025 SEC championship game, out-rushing the Tide 141 yards to minus-3 yards, and holding first-round NFL draft pick Ty Simpson to under a 50% completion rate with an interception and a touchdown. Gunner Stockton was 20-of-26 for 156 yards and 3 TD passes. UGA jumped out to a 7-0 lead four plays after Cole Speer blocked a Tide punt and UGA recovered at the 21-yard line. It was 14-0 at halftime after Stockton connected with Dillon Bell for a 5-yard touchdown pass, and Nate Frazier made it 21-0 with a 9-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Alabama finally scored on a 23-yard TD Simpson TD pass to Germie Bernard in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs put the game out of reach on Zachariah Branch’s 13-yard TD catch from Stockton with 6:51 left.

Last outings: Georgia pulled away from a 21-14 halftime lead for a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt as Gunner Stockton enjoyed his most proficient outing of the season (25-32, 295 yards, 3 TDs).

Alabama beat Mississippi State in a Top 25 showdown, capitalizing on four turnovers in a 56-23 win that saw Keelon Russell throw for 285 yards and 3 TDs and run for 16 yards and another score.

Georgia injury report: OLB Amaris Williams (out); S Tyriq Green (out); OL Marcus Harrison (out); RB Chauncey Bowens (out); WR Thomas Blackshear (out); WR Isiah Canion (questionable).

Alabama injury report: LB Justin Hill (out); LB Desmond Umeozulu (out); LB Cayden Jones (out); DB Nick Sherman (out); DL Jeremiah Beaman (out); DB Jordan Edmonds (questionable); TE Josh Ford, (questionable).

The line: Alabama is a 1.5-point favorite.

5 is Notes on Georgia-Alabama

Kirby Smart is 25-11 against Top 10 competition, but 2-3 on the road against Top 10 foes. Alabama has a 313-56-3 record at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the best in the FBS ranks among teams playing in their current stadium. Smart is 38-6 in night games, 12-2 in those under the lights on the road. Smart is 1-2 against current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and 2-7 in overall meetings with the Crimson Tide. Georgia is 95-1 in games Smart has coached where the opponent has not scored more than 20 points.

DeBoer is 21-6 against AP Top 25 teams as an FBS coach, including a 9-4 record since taking over at Alabama in 2024. DeBoer is 22-1 when leading at halftime and 1-7 when trailing at halftime at Alabama.

Saturday marks the 10th time Georgia and Alabama have met in the past 10 seasons. The Bulldogs and Tide have combined to win the past six SEC championship games, each with three including UGA’s wins in the past two. It’s why both remain popular with College GameDay, as this will be the Crimson Tide’s 65th appearance on College GameDay — 21 more than third-place Georgia (44), and six behind College GameDay appearance leader Ohio State (71).

Alabama has forced 13 turnovers (eight interceptions, five fumbles) to lead the SEC and rank second in the nation in that category. Georgia has forced 10 turnovers (four interceptions, six fumbles) to rank tied for second in the SEC and tied for ninth in the nation. Georgia is tied for third as the least-penalized team in the SEC (26 for 253 yards), while Alabama is 10th in the league in fewest penalties (35 for 229 yards).

Stockton is on pace to set the completion percentage at Georgia (70.58%) currently held by Carson Beck (68.04%). Stockton is third in the nation in passing efficiency (201.98), three slots ahead of Alabama QB Keelon Russell (185.66). Stockton is 43 completions from passing UGA OC and former QB Mike Bobo (445) for ninth on the all-time completions list, and 12 TD passes from passing Matthew Stafford for seventh on UGA’s career-TD pass list (51).