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Four-Star Quarterback Keelon Russell Names Alabama As ‘Leader’ Despite Being Committed To SMU

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Four-star quarterback Keelon Russell is committed to SMU Mustangs.

But it’s the Alabama Crimson Tide that leads his recruitment.

Confused? So are we!

Alabama Leads Recruitment For Elite Quarterback Who Is Committed To SMU.

Keelon Russell is a 6-foot-3, 182-pound quarterback from Duncanville, Texas who is ranked the No. 57 overall recruit in the class of 2025 according to On3’s composite rankings.

Russell committed to SMU, which is just 11 miles from his high school, and head coach Rhett Lashlee back in September.

“The relationship. Man, I just love being on the phone with them,” Russell told On3. “They give me the attention to be QB1 at SMU. That means (a lot) to me because I’m still a 2025 quarterback. I got a whole other year to go. For them to build the relationship so early shows how much care and effort they’re trying to bring to me.”

But like any other top recruit, several big-name programs continued to pursue Russell in hopes that he’d flip his commitment.

One of those programs was Alabama and new head coach Kalen DeBoer, who offered him a scholarship in April.

Now it appears that Tide, despite Russell’s continued “commitment” to SMU, has lept to the forefront of his recruitment.

“Did you just say that SMU commitment Keelon Russell has a leader in Alabama,” On3’s Josh Newberg asked recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong on Tuesday.

“That’s the way it was explained to me, talking to his dad,” Wiltfong answered. “I said ‘Is Alabama the team to beat moving forward?’ He said ‘No doubt.'”

So that means Russell is no longer committed to SMU, right?

Not so fast!

Wiltfong says that there’s no timeline for a potential flip and Russell is set to visit Florida and Oregon.

Now, recruiting flips happen all the time. There’s nothing wrong with that if Russell sees a better opportunity. But to remain committed to one school and openly state that a different school is the team to beat your recruitment is a new one for me.