Alabama QB signee Keelon Russell ranks No. 2 in final 2025 On300 rankings

On3 has released its final rankings for the 2025 football recruiting class, and Alabama signee Keelon Russell has finished as the No. 2 overall recruit in the country.

The Duncanville (Texas) star, who will look to compete for the starting job this spring, checks in just behind Michigan signee and No. 1 prospect Bryce Underwood. Russell is coming off a monster senior season, where he led the Panthers to another deep playoff run and one of the best single-season passing performances in Texas state history.

A one-time SMU commit, he flipped to the Crimson Tide in June after they turned up the heat on his recruitment during the spring. He was a low 4-star recruit at the time, but his performances at offseason camps, as well as earning MVP at the Elite 11 Finals, pushed him into the 5-star conversation.

He then added to that on the field as a senior. In 14 games, he complete 238 of 343 attempts (69.4%), while throwing for 4,177 yards, 55 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Following his senior campaign, he was named the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year.

Russell is ready to make an impact immediately

With a quarterback competition opening up in Tuscaloosa, he has plans to lead the Tide when they open next season as their starter.

“They want me to come and be the starting quarterback, ASAP,” Russell told BamaOnLine. “When I talked with Coach DeBoer in the office, he was laid-back and chill, so I knew that I was getting the honest truth out of him. I was like, ‘OK, you want me to come be the starting quarterback.’ It’s engraved in your mind. Oh yeah, you have to lock in. No further questions – You have to do what you have to do from now on. Nobody can tell you anything. You just have to go and do your thing.”

On3’s Scouting and Rankings team compares his game to that of former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, the heavy favorite to win the NFL’s Rookie of the Year honors this season.

“Russell’s frame, arm talent, accuracy and gaudy passing production reminds us of Jayden Daniels,” his scouting report reads. “Daniels was much more productive as a run threat, eclipsing 1,500 yards on the ground as a senior in high school. We also see some similarities between Russell and CJ Stroud and Teddy Bridgewater out of high school.”