The Alabama Crimson Tide have officially named sophomore Keelon Russell as the starting quarterback prior to the 2026 campaign.
Russell will enter his first season as the Tide’s starting quarterback with massive expectations. A former five-star recruit, Russell was widely regarded as one of the top overall prospects from the class of 2025, and the sophomore will find himself with a plethora of talented weapons at his disposal throughout his second season in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb recently revealed a moment in which he realized Russell would win the starting role, as Grubb claims the sophomore had a handful of plays that ultimately led to the decision.
“I think there’s moments.” Grubb said. “I don’t think there’s one particular moment, you win any quarterback job through the cumulative process and Keelon did that. We’re excited, I’m excited for him. He’s really taken the bull by the horns as a starter, embodied that. Just taking command of the field, everything you may think that a young quarterback might not be able to do. We’ve got a ton of confidence in him and he’s playing confident, he’s operating at an incredibly high level right now.”
Russell recorded 143 yards and two touchdowns across just 15 total attempts as Alabama’s third string quarterback last season. The sophomore has made blatant improvements both on and off the gridiron this offseason, and Grubb appears to have full confidence in Russell as the starting quarterback moving forward.
