In the transfer portal era of college football, recruits and current players are constantly looking for shortcuts to playing time and success.
That doesn’t appear to be the case with Alabama Crimson Tide commit Keelon Russell.
The 4-star quarterback spoke with On3’s Phillip Dukes in a recent interview to explain why he chose to play for Alabama despite Nick Saban’s retirement.
Bama QB Commit Keelon Russell @Pres1dential on what Head Coach @KalenDeBoer told him that made him want to commit.
Entire interview on The Five Star Flex. Link below https://t.co/pHTdJShMIb pic.twitter.com/hAsg1n9sN0
— Phillip Dukes (@DukestheScoop) July 10, 2024
“My biggest thing was development coming into one of these big SEC schools,” Russell explained. “You see what they did with Michael Penix Jr….I knew that coming into [Alabama] that I could trust them with my talent. Kalen DeBoer and them, they believed in me from the start. I’m the only one they recruited since January as they came on board.”
Russell went on to talk about the quarterback room, understanding who would still be there when he arrived, and what the long-term plan would be before he could see the field. It was a mature, self-aware answer from Russell, who will be tasked with leading the Crimson Tide down the road.
At 6-foot-3, 182-pound quarterback, Russell is a 4-star recruit coming out of Duncanville, Texas. Although he originally committed to the SMU Mustangs, he flipped his commitment to Alabama thanks to the recruiting efforts of DeBoer and his staff.
DeBoer is building out a top-tier recruiting class for 2025. The Crimson Tide have the No. 2 recruiting class and the top-ranked class in the SEC, trailing only the Ohio State Buckeyes for the No. 1 spot. Russell is their second-ranked recruit behind 5-star cornerback Dijon Lee.
Jalen Milroe will likely be heading to the NFL after this season, but Russell will likely still have to wait his turn behind Ty Simpson and Dylan Lonergan before getting his chance to be a starting quarterback in the SEC.
That doesn’t seem to bother him, though.
