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Just A Minute: Keelon Russell Takes on the Elite 11 Finals

The Alabama quarterback commit becomes the 12th Crimson Tide signal caller to compete in the illustrious event.
Keelon Russell
Keelon Russell | @AK3inc on Twitter

It's a big day for Alabama quarterback commit Keelon Russell as the Elite 11 finals get underway in Los Angeles. The competition goes from June 18-20 and pits the nation's top quarterbacks in the Class of 2025 against one another.

Russell is the 12th quarterback with Alabama ties to compete in the event and three have walked away as champions. However, competing in the event and even winning is not always an indicator of future success at the Capstone. Seven of the prior 11 competitors transferred out of the Alabama program before making a mark on the Crimson Tide team.

Alabama Quarterbacks at Elite 11

  • Star Jackson - 2007
  • AJ McCarron - 2008
  • Phillip Sims - 2009
  • Phillip Ely - 2010
  • Blake Barnett - 2014 - Winner
  • Tua Tagovailoa - 2016 - Winner
  • Taulia Tagovailoa - 2018
  • Bryce Young - 2019
  • Tyler Buchner - 2020
  • Ty Simpson - 2021
  • Julian Sayin - 2023 - Winner

Russell will go up against top rated quarterbacks like Julian Lewis (USC), KJ Lacey (Texas), Matt Zollers (Missouri) and more as the camp seeks to find the future stars of college and professional football.

The Crimson Tide secured Russell's commitment earlier in the month of June after he made an official visit to Tuscaloosa. He had been committed to SMU before flipping to Alabama and his decision helped kickstart what has been a strong recruiting month for head coach Kalen DeBoer and his new staff as Alabama currently boasts the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation.

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Joe Gaither
JOE GAITHER

Joe Gaither oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt web sites.

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