Four-star QB Keelon Russell flips his commitment from SMU to Kalen DeBoer's Alabama

By Maliha

Modified Jun 05, 2024 11:28 GMT

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Keelon Russell is an example of how new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is leaving no stone unturned to continue the legacy of Nick Saban. A huge stride in this direction came on Tuesday when dual-threat quarterback Russell, originally committed to SMU, announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide.

Russell had pledged to SMU on September 21, 2023, and reversed his decision after an official visit to Tuscaloosa. Russell plays for Duncanville High School, where he posted a 29-1 record over the past two years. He led Duncanville to back-to-back 6A D-1 titles.

The signal-caller took an official visit to Alabama the weekend of May 31. The visit impressed him enough to join Alabama's ranks, becoming the highest-ranked pledge in the 2025 class and the 11th commitment in the class for Alabama.

"They laid out the spot for me on the depth chart -- it's something a quarterback dreams of," Russell told (via ESPN). "I felt like if I took the role that I could do some amazing things at high levels."

Alabama started flirting with the quarterback in late January after DeBoer and his staff took the reins in Tuscaloosa. They kept consistent contact with him through the spring before officially offering the dual-threat quarterback in April.

"I've been in touch with them almost every day since they began recruiting me. If not every day, then every week. They've been on me; really trying to get me there."

Keelon Russell is ranked No. 38 overall in the Class of 2025 and No. 6 among quarterbacks by the 247Sports composite. He passed for 3,267 yards and 35 touchdowns while adding 304 yards and four touchdowns on the ground during his junior season.

Keelon Russell's move from SMU to Alabama explained by his dad

Keelon Russell's pledge to Alabama is a hot topic among football fans. He is now the Crimson Tide's only quarterback pledge and the third-highest-ranked member of the 2025 class. The switch from SMU to Alabama was not made lightly, as it involved consideration of various factors, which was explained by Russell’s father, Brian Russell.

"When you look at the recent history, Mac Jones, Bryce Young, Tua (Tagovailoa), and his goal has been to be a Heisman-winning quarterback, and there have been so many great quarterbacks at Alabama,” Russell told Touchdown Alabama.

Keelon Russell will likely compete with Austin Mack in the quarterback room. So, the potential of competing in a relatively small quarterback room at Alabama played a vital role in his decision.

“Another thing is the quarterback room is very small, meaning that Jalen Milroe will possibly go to the NFL and even if he doesn’t go to the NFL, there is no one else in the quarterback room that has much snap experience..

"Going into the season as a freshman, there’s a possibility that he could possibly be the number two quarterback, fighting for a starting position."

Alabama's commitment to supporting student-athletes academically, along with its professional approach to football, also contributed to Russell's decision-making process.

"Another thing was just the college is almost run like an NFL organization. While we were there on the trip, there were several NFL players and current players... you could feel the energy of the players that are currently there that had interest in Keelon. It was an easy decision for him because everybody was like ‘you are QB1,’ and he felt very wanted.”

Keelon Russell has canceled his official visits to Florida and Oregon after announcing his commitment to Alabama. He is indeed looking very much locked in Alabama.