BREAKING: Alabama lands QB of the future, flips four-star Keelon Russell from SMU

On Tuesday, Alabama and new head coach Kalen DeBoer landed a commitment from four-star quarterback Keelon Russell.

The Duncanville (TX) product had been pledged to SMU since September, but with the Tide turning to DeBoer to replace Nick Saban the former Washington coach went all in on Russell. He had expressed that SMU was still in the lead until another program made a lasting impression, which clearly the Tide did this past weekend when he took an official to Tuscaloosa. He also recently touched on how much of a factor quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan factored into the decision.

“Talking to my pops, talking to my mom, both telling me how does Bama treat you differently? When I got on a Zoom call with Coach (Nick) Sheridan I’m seeing a connection,” Russell told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “Seeing him break down plays, seeing him break down coverages, you can feel it almost.”

This past season saw Russell throw for over 3,200 yards, while throwing 38 touchdowns to just three picks. He also added six scores on the ground en route to leading Duncanville to a 14-1 record and their second-straight Texas 6A D-1 state title.

The Tide currently have the No. 8 class in the country according to 247Sports, and DeBoer now has his quarterback of the future.

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