Keelon Russell can skyrocket past these 5 overrated quarterbacks all ranked above him

No doubt about it. The most interesting question that will surely be answered by the Alabama Crimson Tide this fall is if Keelon Russell can play. We know he is dripping with talent, but he has to earn the starting job first. Nick Saban may have thoughts on the matter, but he is not the one who will be making the decision. Kalen DeBoer has to pick between Russell and Austin Mack in a few weeks.

However, The Athletic's anonymous survey thinks it will be Russell over Mack. Many prognosticators feel the same way. Unfortunately, because he is such an unknown commodity at this time, it is hard to accurately rank him. It is why The Athletic's survey placed Russell near the top of Tier 4. There are 30 quarterbacks who are slotted above him. While Tiers 1 and 2 make sense, can Russell get into Tier 3?

Parker Fleming of Dropback shared this graphic on social media of The Athletic's quarterback tiers.

Again, we are not going to be concerned with the 16 quarterbacks slotted into Tiers 1 and 2. Whether or not you agree with them, those sweet 16 players have earned their spots into those groupings, relatively speaking. As far as the 14 players placed into Tier 3, that is where we should have a bone to pick with these rankings. Give it a few weeks, and Russell will surely skyrocket past a handful of them.

Here are five quarterbacks Russell will almost certainly be viewed better than by the end of the year.

5. Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman

The idea of Conner Weigman was fantastic only a few years ago. However, the former blue-chip prospect of the Texas A&M Aggies could never stay healthy or really impact any play on the field whenever he was in College Station. He ended up losing his job to Marcel Reed before transferring to Houston last season. Weigman has looked considerably better starring for Willie Fritz in the Big 12.

However, there will always be this concern about Weigman whenever the structure of a play breaks down. He has never proven to be a good ad-libber. More importantly, we have seen nothing out of him up to this point that leads us to believe he is a quintessential foxhole guy the Cougars could ever lean on. He may be too talented for the league he plays in, but he is on the verge of wasting his potential.

It may be a critical year for Fritz at Houston, but it is even more so for Weigman leading the Cougars.

4. Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel

Admittedly, there is a lot to like about Mason Heintschel. He really came on at times last year for Pitt. However, he still plays for the delightful Pat Narduzzi, very much in the middle of the pack of the ACC. Year after year, Pitt is one of the hardest teams to forecast in the Power Four. They have shown an innate ability to contend for ACC Championships, only to back those runs up with sub-.500 seasons.

To be frank, this really comes down to Pitt doing a better job of protecting Heintschel. If he gets ragdolled behind a porous offensive line, he could be the latest Pitt quarterback who fades off into obscurity after Narduzzi gets a hold of him. We should be hoping for Heintschel to succeed because Pitt can be a lot of fun when the Panthers are good. However, there is too much variance to be had.

This is more about the team Heintschel plays for, as opposed to the talent he has on the football field.

3. Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons

This is one that could totally blow up in our faces. Austin Simmons showed flashes of brilliance over the last two years at Ole Miss. However, he transferred to Missouri this past offseason after losing the starting job to Trinidad Chambliss nearly a year ago. Chambliss is special, but Simmons could also be good in his own right. However, do we really want to put our trust and faith into Missouri this season?

ALSO READ: Alabama is a national title contender, but one that has seemingly no margin for error

Eliah Drinkwitz has proven to be a fantastic head coach for Missouri, but the Tigers are one of the hardest teams to peg in the SEC annually. They are like Pitt and NC State over in the ACC. When you think they will be good, they fail to live up to expectations. When you overlook them, they rise to the occasion. Simmons could be a game-changer in Columbia, but he might not have the receivers there.

So much of Missouri's season will be contigent on the return of its star running back, Ahmad Hardy.

2. Maryland Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington

If we were to marry high-end talent with a questionable situation, there may not be a better case to be had this year than Malik Washington over at Maryland. Outside of sitting, waiting, wishing to see Mike Locksley's tenure in College Park come to an end, Washington is really the only reason to watch Terrapins football. If he were not a local product, he should have already transferred somewhere else.

To be totally honest, Locksley appears to have put all of his eggs into one basket. Can Washington become a superstar at Maryland? He is more talented than Taulia Tagovailoa, but it remains to be seen if he will be anywhere near as productive. Again, he is a fun player to root for. Unfortunately, Maryland is far more likely to be a bottom-tier team in the Big Ten this year than to turn the corner.

If the season gets away from Maryland in a hurry, do not be shocked if Washington protects himself.

1. Texas State Bobcats quarterback Brad Jackson

This one makes no sense at all! GJ Kinne may be somewhat of a quarterback whisperer at the Group of Six level, but he cannot hold a candle to what Kalen DeBoer has done over the better part of a decade. Brad Jackson may emerge as the starter for Texas State, but let's not overlook what the Bobcats are trying to do this season. They are leaving the Sun Belt to go play in the revamped Pac-12.

ALSO READ: Nick Saban has Alabama flying under the radar, but Kalen DeBoer still has to prove it

San Marcos is so far away from the rest of the teams in its new league, one now includes traditional powers at the Group of Six level like Boise State, Fresno State, and San Diego State. Jackson needs to be special to help cut Texa State cut through into its new league. Unfortunately, this team may not be good enough to go bowling. Texas State is a high-variance team with so many unknown factors.

If Russell does not skyrocket past Jackson in the national quarterback hierarchy, we have a problem.

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