New Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has slowly but surely been flexing on the recruiting trail in his short time in Tuscaloosa, and his latest win may be his biggest yet.
DeBoer has secured his first high school quarterback commitment in the form of four-star quarterback Keelon Russell from Duncanville, Texas. Making the commitment more impressive is the fact that Russell has been committed to SMU since September 2023.
SMU was an in-state option for the quarterback, but the Texas native made an official visit to Tuscaloosa this weekend. The visit to Alabama made the Tide’s offer too hard to pass up. “They did an excellent job with the trip,” Russell told Bama247 only days before his flip. “The players and recruits were just fantastic. The coaches were excellent. “Just building relationships with everyone was amazing.”
Russell visited Alabama with his parents and sister and, per 247Sports. The Tide coaching staff rolled out the crimson carpet for him. Most important in his decision to flip to the Tide was his budding relationship with new Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan, who arguably sealed the deal for the Tide with zoom calls before the official visit.
“Me and coach Sheridan have hopped on the film,” Russell explained to 247Sports. “We connected. When you feel like there is a possibility of you going somewhere, it was that feeling. When I was on a zoom call with him, we were watching film, he was breaking it down and he was saying ‘man, you are going to be a perfect fit in our offense.’ I already know that the development key is going to be perfect. I already know that the relationship that I have built with the whole coaching staff is going to be perfect.”
Russell is a top quarterback prospect, ranking sixth in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports composite.
