Keelon Russell shares which fellow freshmen have stood out in spring practice
Alabama freshman quarterback Keelon Russell was in Atlanta over spring break to receive the Maxwell National High School Player Award for his stellar senior season at Duncanville.
Freshmen are not allowed to talk to reporters in Tuscaloosa, but Russell did a few interviews at the Maxwell Awards Gala and discussed the Crimson Tide’s quarterback competition.
“Everybody is looking for the guy, and all three quarterbacks are amazing,” Russell told Max Wolborsky. “We have a phenomenal quarterback room and even more phenomenal people around us. With everybody being around us, the people who are playing with us, it’s gonna be fantastic this summer and this fall.”
Russell went on to rave about some of his fellow Alabama freshmen.
The first was wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks. Listed at 5-foot-9, 188 pounds by UA, Brooks made several highlight plays in the videos the Crimson Tide released on social media during the first week of spring practice. Earning New Jersey Player of the Year honors, Brooks holds the state records for career receiving yards (4,615) and receiving touchdowns (67).
After one week of spring camp, Brooks has impressed the 5-star freshman quarterback, who went as far as to compare his fellow early enrollee to a former Heisman Trophy winner.
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“He’s phenomenal,” Russell said of Brooks. “He’s very acrobatic. He can catch a ball any place you put it at, which makes the quarterback’s job a lot easier. He has that type of talent, he has that mindset of the defensive back that’s gonna be in front of me can’t guard me. He’s fast. He’s like a DeVonta Smith all over again.”
The second was a freshman on the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Dijon Lee. The tallest defensive back on Alabama’s 2025 roster, Lee is listed at 6-foot-4, 197 pounds and has turned heads early this spring. Lee was a 5-star corner in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, and also made a number of plays in the Tide’s first week of drills.
“That man is making a very great impact already as a true freshman,” Russell said. “I’m excited to be on the field with both of these guys and see how they play.”
Russell and Alabama will be back on the field for spring practice No. 4 on Tuesday, March 18.
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