The Alabama QB competition will draw a ton of attention from around the country during fall camp as Austin Mack and Keelon Russell battle it out for the right to replace first-round NFL Draft pick Ty Simpson.
It was a major story at SEC Media Days. DeBoer was predictably asked about it. So, too, were the players brought along to Tampa.
The player in attendance for Alabama with the most vested interest in the QB competition is the one who will be catching a lot of passes from the winner.
Star WR Ryan Coleman-Williams joined On3's J.D. Pickell in an interview on Wednesday, and he revealed a defining characteristic that has helped Russell take a step forward:
"Keelon, he's just a guy, he's got some God-given talents, you know," Coleman-Williams said. "Coming out of high school, the No. 1 player in the country obviously, but what stood out the most to me is every single day he comes to work like that wasn't the case; like he's an underdog. I think that's kinda the theme for the QB room."
Ryan Coleman-Williams praises Keelon Russell for his 'underdog' mentality
You've probably heard the saying that hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard. But what do you get when talent works hard? That's when you have something truly special.
That was the defining characteristic of Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty. The legendary coach would tell anyone and everyone that he could never coach a bad player to be a good player, but he could maximize the talents of the best. That was key to his dominant run in Tuscaloosa. It wasn't just landing the flood of 5-stars; it was getting those 5-stars to prepare like they had to earn every single thing.
Russell seems to have that mentality.
It makes sense. He was a late bloomer in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Texas native was at one point committed to SMU and was just a 3-star prospect. He flipped to Alabama and then blew up during his senior season, ultimately becoming not only a 5-star recruit but the No. 2 overall prospect in the composite rankings for the class.
While he still has to beat out Mack this fall to earn the starting QB job, there's little doubt that he is on the path to stardom. Everyone who has watched him in practice can see it. He's special. And he's not just special because of the God-given ability that Coleman-Williams referenced. He's special because he's willing to put the work in like a scrappy walk-on.
If Russell ultimately comes out on top in the QB competition, it'll be because of that mental trait more so than any physical one.
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