Keelon Russell has won over one of the few people who know exactly what playing quarterback at Alabama demands. Greg McElroy, the former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback turned ESPN analyst, said on "Always College Football with Greg McElroy" that the sophomore could climb to No. 1 among the sport's quarterbacks before the year is out. McElroy credited the supporting cast before turning to Russell himself.
"They have become an elite passing team because they have depth with their weaponry, and their quarterback is getting more confident with every single passing week," McElroy said. "He might be the best quarterback in the country by season's end." The production backs him up. Russell has 1,414 passing yards and 11 touchdown throws, plus 184 rushing yards and four more scores on the ground.
Alabama is 5-0 and hasn't put up fewer than 45 points in any game. Russell has scored a touchdown in each of them. Mississippi State was the latest victim, falling 56-23 at Davis Wade Stadium as Russell went 16 of 22 for 285 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
He ran for a fourth score. Rico Scott caught two of those touchdown passes, and Ryan Coleman-Williams had the other. Racin Delgatty, Alabama's center, celebrated the outing by mimicking the Heisman Trophy stance.
DraftKings slotted Russell third in its Heisman odds after the win. He brushed off the attention, saying he's "not really worried about the Heisman right now." His first start away from home came at Kentucky, where he gave the ball away three times in the first half before Alabama rallied to win. "I feel like there's a lot of mistakes that I grew up on, like the three turnovers in Kentucky," Russell said.
"As a quarterback, you learn from it." Head coach Kalen DeBoer sees it, too. "I just think he's learned from everything that's happened," DeBoer said, per BamaOnLine's Charlie Potter. Georgia comes to town next, unbeaten and putting up 51.4 points per game.
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