A week of spring practice is now in the books for Alabama football, and multiple Alabama freshmen are generating buzz.
Here is a look at the Tide first-year players, who garnered the most attention during week one of the spring:
Keelon Russell
It was inevitable Keelon Russell would get a lot of attention this spring with some believing he has the right tools needed to start as a freshman at quarterback. He has flashed some of the traits that have people really high on him as the Tide’s new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb compared him to two NFL quarterbacks earlier in the week.
“One of the things I noticed, think about Jake Haener way back to Fresno State,” Grubb said. “He’s at the Saints now, got a really whippy quick release. Once he made his decision, he was very decisive with the ball. I see that with Key a lot. Keelon’s vision reminds me of Michael (Penix) a little bit. He has good wide vision with the field and can see it even when he doesn’t know exactly what’s going on. So, he’s still working through all the processes.”
“He has good wide vision with the field. He can see it even when he doesn’t know exactly what’s going on.”
Ryan Grubb compares Keelon Russell to Michael Penix and Jake Haener. pic.twitter.com/5GILo95CA1
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) March 7, 2025
Lotzeir Brooks
Brooks is an explosive wide receiver with game-breaking speed. He left his mark on New Jersey High School football with one of the best careers the state had ever seen out of a wide receiver. Alabama’s defensive back, Bray Hubbard described him as a tough cover earlier this week.
“Lotzeir Brooks, he’s doing really great,” Hubbard said. “That dude’s fast. He’s hard to keep up with. I will say, I ain’t even gonna lie. Hard to keep up with him.”
Alabama freshman WR Lotzeir Brooks flashing a short burst of explosiveness as he looks shifty on day 2 of Spring Practice. @TDAlabamaMag pic.twitter.com/sOzTNPbZhV
— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) March 5, 2025
Dijon Lee
Lee caught a lot of people’s attention with his length during the first media viewing period of the spring. He was also smooth in coverage while going through drills. This was really impressive for a guy his size. Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack revealed Lee had a pick at practice on Friday while discussing what he brings to the table.
“He looks like a corner right now,” Wommack said. “He just looks like a really long-ass corner. He’s got really good feet. He’s got a maturity that reminds me a little bit of Zabian (Brown). I don’t want to put too much pressure on him too early, but he has a demeanor that would indicate that a freshman could come in and contribute. Mo (Maurice Linguist) does such a great job with just the discipline and detail of those guys in the position. I think he had a pick today, which was great, but he gave up a ball today as well. So those are the give and take take of how will he respond to that as spring ball goes on.”
Alabama freshman DB Dijon Lee’s length is an immediate eye-catcher. pic.twitter.com/qxanJZwUaY
— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) March 5, 2025
Michael Carroll
Carroll was regarded as one of the most dominant offensive lineman prospects in the 2025 recruiting class. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder, is taking reps at tackle and guard this spring.
“He took some reps there (guard) today,” DeBoer said on Monday. “You don’t want to, especially for a young guy. There’s a lot of bullets flying. You don’t want to make it harder than it needs to be for him. You try to keep him in the same position for multiple practices. But also that flexibility for a guy like Michael does exist, and he does have that frame where he could play some tackle, even though, like you said, he probably down the road, end game, probably more of a guard, but. But that’s what I love about some of the guys. They’re athletes. They are versatile. They can play maybe not all five spots because that gets a little confusing. But you can play right side or you can play left side or you can play right tackle, left tackle or right guard, left guard, interior guys, really, you try to learn center as well.”
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
