Alabama Five Star Plus+ QB signee Keelon Russell inks multi-year NIL deal with Panini America
After participating in the Under Armour All-America Game last week, Five Star Plus+ quarterback Keelon Russell arrived as an early enrollee at Alabama. He now has his first NIL deal, as well.
Russell inked his first multi-year partnership with Panini America, the company announced Wednesday morning. He will be parted of Panini marketing activations and be featured in its line of college trading card products.
“Being able to partner with a leader in the sports collectibles space like Panini is exciting. Seeing the quality of the products that Panini produces and all the things they have done for other NIL athletes – I knew they were the right fit for me,” Russell said in a statement. “I can’t wait to start working with them and seeing my first trading cards.”
Russell arrived in Tuscaloosa as the crown jewel of Alabama’s recruiting class. As a Five Star Plus+ prospect, he’s one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. The Duncanville (TX) product was the No. 2 overall recruit from the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
As he gets ready to begin his college career, Russell is also setting himself up in the NIL space. He recently signed with Team IFA for his representation as he navigates the space, joining a roster of 25 athletes across the college and high school football levels. Now, he has his first NIL deal.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Carson Beck
QB entering portal
- 2New
Notre Dame Flu
Irish battling flu, Penn State
- 3
Oregon accusation
Dirk Koetter claims Ducks tampered
- 4
Nick Saban
Shane Gillis details confrontation
- 5
Conferences to gain power?
Internal documents reveal remade NCAA
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“With Keelon being from right here in the Dallas area, we’ve had the opportunity to follow his high school career closely. Keelon is a dynamic player on-the-field and off-the-field,” said Jason Howarth, Panini senior vice president of marketing and athletic relations. “We look forward to supporting Keelon as he moves on to Alabama and bringing Keelon’s trading cards to his fans through our products.”
Keelon Russell set up for NIL success
Keelon Russell has plenty of NIL potential as he gets ready to start his college career. His On3 NIL Valuation ranks No. 2 in the high school football NIL rankings and No. 46 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.
“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”
The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.