It goes without saying, but there's already a ton of pressure facing 5-star quarterback Keelon Russell. The youngster graduated high school early and is already on campus putting in work for spring ball, his first with the team.
Being one of the top recruits for the 2025 class, it was a major win for Kalen DeBoer to sign the elite signal-caller from Texas. Very quickly, however, the training wheels are coming off and he's going to be asked to play beyond his years for this team. There's a chance he starts Week 1 too.
Should that end up being the case, the veteran Alabama playmakers are going to rely on Russell to showcase loads of maturity on and off the field. He seems to be doing that already, as wideout Germie Bernard didn't hold back with his recent compliments for his new teammate.
Alabama'a Germie Bernard has been impressed with 5-star signee Keelon Russell
Russell didn't hesitate in saying that Russell of course has a lot of learning to get done, but the early signs are confirming what everyone knew - that he's a great quarterback. Russell indeed was one of the top QBs in the country for '25, with several other schools hoping to land him.
Now that he's in Tuscaloosa, Russell is ready to compete with Austin Mack and Ty Simpson for the starting job. Similar to Bryce Underwood over in Michigan, Russell is hoping to win the QB1 role as a baby-faced freshman and put on a show from the start despite him being a true frosh.
Russell has all the tools to be a dynamic quarterback for DeBoer and the Crimson Tide. Once fall camp gets here, the QB battle is going to heat up even more and we're going to have a better idea of who will be leading out the offense to take on Florida State in late August. If Russell ends up being the guy, Bernard will have faith in him to step up and get the job done in what's a crucial season for DeBoer with the Tide.