When you look around the college football landscape, the top teams all have one thing in common: a superstar player that transcends the rest of the roster. While the Alabama Crimson Tide may not have had that player in 2024, Ryan Williams came close. For 2025, however, freshman Keelon Russell could fill the role of superstar.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer briefly mentioned the lack of one superstar after the first practice of spring. “We don’t have someone who is just over the top strong and one guy who commands all of it.” Jalen Milroe was to be that guy in 2024. Unfortunately, he turned into a pumpkin when Nick Saban retired. Though there is a “battle” for starting between Ty Simpson and Keelon Russell, the hype surrounding Russell is not just noise.
Keelon Russell Could Be Star Crimson Tide Needs to Succeed
The Battle is Heavily One-Sided
“Battle” is a term thrown around very loosely. And it could not be used any more haphazardly than when discussing Ty Simpson and Keelon Russell. While Russell will be a freshman in 2025, Simpson has been with the Alabama Crimson Tide for three years. Jalen Milroe held the QB1 role for the last two and was arguably the worst starting quarterback in the SEC in 2025. It is hard to imagine Simpson beating out Russell when he could not even beat Milroe.
Watch Alabama freshman QB Keelon Russell throw in crimson for the first time today: pic.twitter.com/c7gmvdOnjK
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) March 4, 2025
Simpson has not shown the arm talent capable of leading a blue-blood program all the way. There is certainly nothing wrong with a mid-tier field general. But when you roster guys like Ryan Williams, you need a quarterback with a cannon. Keelon Russell can push the ball down the field, matching the sheer speed of Williams and making a nearly unstoppable deep threat.
The Hype Is Not Just Noise
Russell does have the ability to scramble if the situation calls for it, but he is a pass-first quarterback. It will be a stark contrast from Milroe, who ran 329 times over the last two seasons. Even Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson ran less than that in that time, and he played seven more games.
Russell’s game will be much closer to what we saw from Bryce Young in his 2021 Heisman campaign. That year, Young threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. With Ryan Williams on the boundary, Keelon Russell should reach those numbers with ease.
Keelon Russell taking reps today at spring practice number two for Alabama @abc3340 pic.twitter.com/KbQaaL8OKn
— Chris McCulley (@ChrisMcCulleyTV) March 5, 2025
There is more than just an outside chance that Russell is the superstar the Alabama Crimson Tide lacked in 2024. Even without that one superstar, Kalen DeBoer led the team to within one win of making the College Football Playoffs, where anything can happen. In 2025, with Keelon Russell taking snaps, things could prove to be much different.
The tenure of DeBoer did not have the best start, but that should not define his time in Alabama. His strong recruiting, landing one of the best quarterback prospects in the nation in Keelon Russell, could turn things around as soon as this year.
Spring is an exciting time in Tuscaloosa. Having a superstar on the roster could see the entire year as such.
Main Image: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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