
Alabama’s 5-Star QB Moves up to No. 2 Prospect on On3’s Final Rankings
2025 Alabama class of five-star commit Keelon Russell rises to the second spot on On3's final list of the top 300 prospects, trailing only Michigan quarterback recruit Bryce Underwood, who currently ranks first in the class.

The five-star quarterback had a tremendous senior season, throwing for 4,117 yards and 55 passing touchdowns while completing 69.4% of his passes. In addition, the Panthers' senior quarterback rushed for over 1,500 yards. Russell guided Duncanville, Texas, to another deep playoff run. The senior's efforts earned him the 2024-2025 National Gatorade Player of the Year award last month.
Before the five-star quarterback signed with the Crimson Tide, Russell committed to the SMU Mustangs, where he was a lower-rated four-star prospect until his remarkable performance at the Elite 11 camp propelled his name into five-star conversations. Shortly before his impressive performance at the Elite 11, Russell switched his commitment to SMU and decided to join the Crimson Tide 2025 class, which finished third in the nation and second in the SEC behind Georgia, according to On3's Team Recruiting Rankings.
Russell is the Crimson Tide's highest-ranked quarterback commit since 2018, when Bryce Young, the #2 overall recruit at the time, committed to Alabama. Young went on to lead the Crimson Tide to an SEC Championship and a National Championship appearance in 2021, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy.
Russell, the 2024-2025 National Gatorade Player of the Year, will arrive at Alabama wanting to compete for a starting job from day one, telling BamaOnLine, "They want me to come and be the starting quarterback, ASAP." In a separate interview with On3's Phillip Dukes, Russell discussed Deboer's ability to develop quarterbacks as a major factor in why the five-star quarterback chose the Tide, saying, "My biggest thing was development, and you see what they (Deboer) did with Micheal Penix."
Only time will tell if Russell starts his first game with the Crimson Tide, as Deboer faces a difficult decision come this fall with the Tide staring at a three-way quarterback battle between Ty Simpson (Redshirt Sophomore), Austin Mack (Redshirt Freshman), and Russell this offseason.
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