Texas turning up the heat with SMU 4-star QB commit Keelon Russell
Texas locked in its quarterback commitment early with Saraland (Ala.) four-star passer K.J. Lacey last summer, and the Longhorns didn’t seem to be looking elsewhere.
But as the months have passed and Texas’ QB room has seen defections, Steve Sarkisian and Co. are looking at another coveted signal-caller in the 2025 class: Duncanville (Texas) four-star Keelon Russell.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has skyrocketed up the rankings and recruiting boards after a strong junior season and offseason camp performances. And Texas has taken notice. The Longhorns have ramped up their communication with him, and according to InsideTexas.com’s Justin Wells, he’s becoming more of a priority target with each passing week.
“Call it due diligence,” Wells told On3’s Inside Scoop recruiting show on Wednesday. “K.J. Lacey is in the mix, the kid from Saraland, Alabama. But Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss aren’t letting up on him, even though he’s solid to Texas. So you have to watch that and keep contingencies. Two, for Texas this may be a two-quarterback class. We don’t know what this could be yet.”
Longhorns looking to stockpile talent in the quarterback room
Following the expected departure of starter Quinn Ewers after the 2024 season, Texas will only have two scholarship quarterbacks on its roster: redshirt freshman Arch Manning and true freshman Trey Owens. They could go into the transfer portal, but Russell brings a lot to the table — either as a second commit or their No. 1 guy if Lacey were to flip elsewhere.
Russell also has the ear of LSU Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver commit Dakorien Moore, a top Longhorns flip target in 2025.
“I think it’s both [wanting two quarterbacks and hedging in case Lacey flips],” Wells added. “And to add to that, I also feel like it could be a wild card to hold onto in November when the Dakorien Moore recruitment gets started. Because that’s his teammate, and those guys are close. So there’s a lot of little elements and data points to this recruitment that make it interesting. He’s been talking to Sark and [QBs coach] AJ Milwee, and Milwee is going to come by Duncanville in a few weeks to watch him throw. And they’re going to keep him close. … Keelon Russell is bigger, faster, a little bit stronger [than Lacey], and I think he has more upside. And that’s what intriguing to Texas.”
Russell jumped all the way No. 81 nationally and the country’s No. 8 QB in the On300 rankings after its latest update, and he’s expected to visit the Longhorns in the next few weeks.