SMU top-100 QB commit Keelon Russell 'only getting better' ahead of Elite 11 Finals

Toward the end of March, Duncanville (Texas) four-star quarterback and SMU commit Keelon Russell earned an invitation to this summer’s Elite 11 Finals.

There are few higher honors for high school quarterbacks than being invited to the Elite 11 Finals. The event, which will celebrate its 25th year in 2024, brings together the country’s elite signal-callers for three days of competition and training in Los Angeles.

Elite 11 alumni include Carson Palmer, Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford, Tim Tebow, and more recently Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and more. Last year’s Elite 11 Finals featured more than a dozen of the top 20 quarterbacks in the final On3 Industry Rankings, including each of the top five players at the position.

Keelon Russell ‘only getting better’

Russell impressed scouts as an underclassman and has only gotten better as his recruitment has progressed, according to Elite 11’s Head of Events Brian Stumpf.

“We really liked him a lot at the regional last year when we were in Texas and he came in as an underclassman,” Stumpf said of Russell on Wednesday during On3’s Inside Scoop recruiting show. “He’s super athletic, good frame. And he obviously went out and backed it up with a huge junior year and a state title at Duncanville. He has great receivers to throw to, but I think when you put him in this setting at the Elite 11 regional where it’s just him and his performance stands on its own, it really gave him the forum to show his skills.

“He’s added some good weight from when we saw him, up over 185 pounds now,” Stumpf added. “Great frame, and the trend with quarterbacks, you really have to be athletic at this point. Especially when you look at the six quarterbacks that just went in the first round of the NFL Draft. … Keelon fits that build, he’s only getting better and that’s what the colleges are getting the scent of. This is a kid who is already really good, but the upside with his athletic frame and thirst for learning, he’s going to continue to get better.”

Russell one of the most coveted QBs in the class

The 6-foot-2.5, 185-pound Russell committed to SMU in September. Russell took his first official visit last weekend to Ole Miss, a program that has long been in the running. Up next is his OV with SMU in May, but he’s also now locked in a May 31 official with Alabama, the latest school to emerge in the race.

Florida and Texas are also making it known that Russell is a priority as SMU looks to cling on to his commitment.

Russell is the nation’s No. 78 overall prospect, No. 8 quarterback and No. 15 recruit from Texas in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.