What the Film Showed Us in Keelon Russell's First Start

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As the dust settles on Alabama's opener against East Carolina, it's time for a final round of analysis. After rewatching the Crimson Tide's 48-10 victory, here are the plays and trends that stood out to me:

Russell needs to stop taking hits.

This has been among the most widely echoed sentiments over the past two days, and it is entirely justified. Russell put himself into danger way too much, oftentimes for no real good reason.

The most egregious example, in terms of how unnecessary it was, came here, in the second quarter. Russell looks directly at a moving Marshall Pritchett, tucks the ball, and barrels directly at two defenders, exposing himself to two big hits.

What was the rationale here? In terms of risk/reward, this play was just ridiculous. On second and five, giving the ball to Pritchett here puts the team, at worst, three yards from moving the chains. Not to mention the fact that Pritchett would have a significantly better chance of getting to the marker than Russell.

It's hard to overstate the amount of sliding Russell will be forced to do this week in practice.

Russell has work to do with the tight ends.

Overall, Russell's connection with the tight ends left a lot to be desired. This is something that will improve with time, as (A) he learns to stop taking these hits and (B) he learns to capitalize on the value of the checkdown.

Then there was the end zone target that went through the fingers of Kaleb Edwards.

This is not on Russell; it's simply a play that Edwards needs to make. Overall, this should be the least impactful game the tight ends have in the passing game all year. Three receptions for just 25 yards should not be the norm for the very talented, oft-utilized unit.

Get used to 13 personnel.

Where the tight ends did shine was in the run block game. Josh "I just love to hit people" Ford lived up to the quote, as his physicality made life miserable for defenders. He played a role in the first touchdown of the season, as Alabama entered 13 personnel (three tight ends) and allowed freshman running back EJ Crowell to enter the end zone without much resistance.

It is slightly surprising to see Jay Lindsey line up in the fullback spot, which was where Ford was expected to spend some time this year. But the results of the plays run in 13 were not. Alabama got into goal-line situations and bullied ECU to the tune of five rushing touchdowns. It doesn't matter who the opponent is. Just seeing an Alabama team finally show a willingness and an ability to do that again is enough for now.

Ryan Coleman-Williams can't make up his mind.

To jump, or not to jump, that is the question.

Coleman-Williams continues to display mechanics that he should have moved past at this point in his career. On Saturday, it cost the team as he recorded his first drop of the season.

This was a beautiful play by Russell, and would have gone down as one of his best throws of the day. Coleman-Williams may have been caught slightly off guard by the ball coming out when it did, and he had to make a quick decision on how to corral the pass.

That was his only official drop of the day, but we can't ignore this end zone fiaso that was erased due to an offsides penalty.

Concern about Coleman-Williams' mechanics is officially warranted. The jumping, the body catching, all of these habits that many expected to be fixed this offseason, are still a part of his game. The offseason was the time to get this changed, and it's not as if Coleman-Williams is able to just flip a switch between now and the end of the season. This won't stop him from being the lifeblood of the Alabama offense (1000 yards should be the expectation now, if it wasn't already), but it's just one of those things that will live in the back of everybody's mind as a ball goes his way.

If Coleman-Williams catches the ball, anything is possible. If.

Jireh Edwards, Hype Man

The five-star freshman did not play, but still managed to stand out. As he works his way back from his August injury, he was consistently among the most hyped up players on the field for Alabama pregame.

Alabama freshman DB Jireh Edwards (#10) is as hyped as anybody on the field right now. He will not play today, but is fully participating in drills and is expected back in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/jakIrMnwZ1
— Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) September 5, 2026

This continued into the game, as Edwards appeared as engaged as anybody on the sidelines throughout the contest. If this is his demeanor while injured, how much energy will he bring when he returns to the field in the coming weeks?

Lotzeir Brooks Guns Down a Pirate.

No notes here, just a moment of appreciation for this textbook special teams moment from the sophomore.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google