DeBoer tells where Keelon Russell has grown in year 1 as backup

As the No. 10 Tide rolled over the Eastern Illinois Panthers, 56-0, on Saturday afternoon, the coaching staff had the opportunity to get almost every player on the field, as walk-ons received plenty of reps towards the end of the game.

One player who had the chance to see a fair amount of playing time was third-string freshman quarterback, Keelon Russell.

Russell is a former five-star quarterback from Texas.

The only playing time Russell had seen this season came in the Crimson Tide’s 73-0 crushing of Louisiana-Monroe in September, a game in which he completed 4-of-6 passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

He managed a better game in the time that he got on Saturday, as he completed 7-of-9 passes for 78 yards. Although he didn’t throw for any touchdowns, he still led a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

After the victory, head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke about Russell’s performance and development throughout the season.

“I credit him,” DeBoer said. “I credit our staff, I think it’s always hard to get three guys a lot of reps. But, I think we’ve really done a good job, credit to Nick Sheridan, Ryan Grubb, of having some intentionality about how we can get all those guys really important, valuable reps, and they take it really seriously. Not just when they’re on the field, but when they’re behind the line, going through their checks. Giving these guys a chance to go out there and play, you can see, I thought he made a lot of good decisions. There’s one to finish the drive there, probably got a little anxious, a little quick on it, I think hang in there a little bit longer, he could’ve made something happen, but that’s going to happen, especially with where he’s at in his progression. But, he’s come a long way throughout the season, the way he spits out things in the huddle, just command of the offense, command of the verbiage, he’s right there and doing a great job.”

There were a couple of throws that Russell missed in his time on the field, but for the most part, he looks like he will play the part that he was recruited for: quarterback of the future for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It’s unlikely that Alabama fans will see Russell back on the field this season, but there’s a decent chance that he’ll be out there more next season, either as the second-string quarterback or the first-string if he can beat out Austin Mack.