Brad Stanfield has worked with his fair share of talented quarterbacks, and Keelon Russell is one of the more special signal callers he has had the privilege of working with.
Russell is considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the country with a four-star rating from multiple recruiting sites. He is committed to SMU at the moment, but other programs like Alabama and Ole Miss are still actively recruiting him.
The Crimson Tide offered Russell last month, and he has locked in an official visit with the Tide for next weekend.
In the words of Stanfield, who is familiar with Alabama football and its quarterback, Jalen Milroe, who he has trained since middle school, ‘he (Russell) can be better than Milroe.’
“When you look at him, meet him and then you see his skill set, you’re just thinking if this kid is everything that I’m seeing in front of my face, this kid’s got a chance to be really freaking good,” Stanfield said. “When it comes to skillset, I put this kid through a bunch of NFL stuff, and he picked it up pretty much that day. It was pretty impressive, and so to watch him be able to do and then not overthink but do what you ask him right away is super impressive. There is nothing I don’t think the kid can’t do.”
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Russell led Duncanville High School to a state championship during the 2023 season by throwing for 3,267 yards and 35 touchdowns while throwing only three interceptions in what Stanfield describes as the ‘toughest football division’ in the country. He also added four rushing touchdowns.
There is still work to be done to ensure Russell reaches his full potential, and it is something the Texas product embraces.
“They (Milroe and Russel) take on the reality that they are not a finished product, taking Jalen’s words,” said Stanfield. “There is nothing that I see that he needs to get better at. It’s just what they all have to do, which is grow and get better overall. There are things they have never done before. He’s never seen a defense in college, all those factors. He’s got a lot of football underneath his belt. He’s self secure, and he knows how to compete. He’s a heck of a competitor.”
Russell will have a lot to think about over the next several months as top college football programs continue to try to reel him in. No matter where he ends up at, Stanfield knows the lucky program will get a genuine person.
“He’s a real one, and what the definition of that to me is you see what you get all the time,” Stanfield told Touchdown Alabama. “I think that’s the best way of putting it.”
Watch Keelon Russell Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
