Shortly after officially signing with the Alabama Crimson Tide, quarterback signee Keelon Russell has been named a finalist for one of the nation’s top individual high school football honors, the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
Russell was one-of-three players to be named a finalist, which included an Auburn Tigers signee in running back Alvin Henderson out of Elba High School in Alabama, as well as the nation’s No. 1 overall 2026 prospect in offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell out of Nixa High School in Missouri.
The Alabama signee is currently in the midst of a truly stellar season at one of the nation’s top high school programs, Duncanville High School in Texas.
Leading the Panthers to an undefeated 12-0 record at the time of writing, Russell has completed a combined 71.5% of his passes for a total of 3,652 yards with a 52:2 TD:INT ratio across 12 games. Russell is also averaging over 300+ passing yards per game with a 150.5 QB rating, and has also rushed for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts.
A five-star prospect, Russell is the headline name in Alabama’s 2025 signing class that ranks as the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect, as well as quarterback, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Russell was also named the Gatorade State Player of the Year in Texas as well.