Why Kalen DeBoer is 'Extremely Excited' About Keelon Russell as Alabama's Starting QB

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The biggest question of the Alabama offseason has an answer: sophomore Keelon Russell will be the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke with the media Monday morning for the first time since the decision was made public. DeBoer highly respects both Russell and his contender in the quarterback competition, senior Austin Mack, but ultimately Russell was impressive enough to win the job.

"I am extremely excited with what Keelon can do with this offense moving forward, and what he brings to the table," DeBoer said Monday. "Just focusing on Keelon's part, and what he's continued to do is he's continued to feel comfortable with the offense, the command of the offense, the execution. He's done a better job at–– with the more and more reps as you'd expect–– taking care of the football, balancing that with the ability to still be explosive and not be too conservative."

"I think both guys grew in those areas, but I'm really excited to see what Keelon can do with the offense moving forward."

Russell only appeared in two games last year during his true freshman season as a backup to Ty Simpson and Mack. In those two appearances, he went 11 for 15 with 143 yards and two touchdowns. He was one of the highest-rated recruits in program history depending on the recruiting outlet, and his skillset leaves both fans and coaches excited about Alabama's potential on offense with Russell at the helm.

"He's got great poise," DeBoer said of Russell. "There's production. He's gonna carry himself and do the work. To me, he's a great leader. I think both guys were, but Keelon has this presence about him that is just really impressive. We saw it when we recruited him out of high school at a high level, doing his thing on the football field. Big moments never seemed too big for him. I think the guys believe in him. He's got a voice out there. He's not afraid to speak up and be vocal, and I think that's even more so now that he's been named the starting quarterback."

DeBoer held a meeting with both Russell and Mack alongside offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis on Saturday to break the news.

Now that Russell knows he has the job, he will get to get the vast majority of the reps with the first-team offense as the team prepares for the season opener against East Carolina on Sept. 5.

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