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The Tuscaloosa News
Did Keelon Russell grow up an Alabama football fan? What 2025 QB told Ryan Williams
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Did Keelon Russell grow up an Alabama football fan? What 2025 QB told Ryan Williams
Alabama football wide receiver Ryan Williams seemed to give new Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell an out.
In an interview for Yea Alabama , the University of Alabama athletics Name, Image and Likeness collective, Williams said he knew Russell is from Texas , joining the Crimson Tide as a five-star quarterback out of Duncanville, outside of Dallas. Expecting the worst, telling Alabama fans to "take this with a grain of salt" because of where he grew up, Williams asked Russell if he grew up an Alabama fan.
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Russell gave Williams a sigh of relief.
"I was always an Alabama fan," Russell told Williams. "The crazy part is, me and my pops, we used to actually sit there and watch Bama all day. Well, it was more schools involved, you know what I'm saying, with the image. But Bama was always one of the schools me and my dad would always watch growing up. I even have old shirts and stuff from Bama when I was a little kid. I used to love Bama. Well, I still love Bama… But I always grew up a Bama fan. It was never nothing that I didn't like about them."
Keelon Russell named 2024-25 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.
Alabama quickly became a fan of Russell, offering the Duncanville High School quarterback before his senior season when he was an SMU commit.
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Russell blossomed into a five-star quarterback, the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2025 class per 247Sports' composite rankings, the 2024-25 Gatorade National Player of the Year and the highest-rated quarterback to sign with the Crimson Tide since Bryce Young .
In 2023 and 2024 at Duncanville, Russell had 7,141 passing yards, 88 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions, leading the Panthers to state titles in 2022 and 2023 before falling to North Crowley in the state semifinals in 2024.
"My sophomore year all the way to my senior year, you can see the development that I went through, all the accolades that came with the development, everything that came with the game," Russell said. "It was just, you know what I'm saying, a blessing, you know, connecting with everybody, connecting with God, you know what I'm saying, for my journey. Nothing but blessings."
Williams knows one thing about Russell — one thing that will make him a perfect fit at Alabama regardless of his previous fandom.
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"You've been a winner, you feel me?" Williams said. "That's what we like to do at Alabama."
Alabama will open the 2025 season at Florida State Aug. 30.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Keelon Russell explains Alabama football fandom to Ryan Williams
