One of many greatest risers within the 2025 recruiting class was five-star quarterback Keelon Russell, who signed with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the course of the early signing interval in December.
Russell, a 6’3”, 185-pound quarterback, was seen because the No. 2 total recruit within the 2025 class in line with 247Sports, and had initially been an SMU commit earlier than flipping and remaining dedicated to Alabama.
Nevertheless, whereas he was pledged to the Crimson Tide, there have been nonetheless quite a lot of suitors coming after the five-star quarterback, and some had some deep pockets.
“As y’all know, cash was getting tossed in direction of me from lots of colleges,” Russell shared on Sunday. “I wasn’t actually by no means in regards to the cash individual. I felt like that was short-term worth as a substitute of long-term worth. In case you do good, such as you receives a commission 1,000,000 {dollars} and go stink it up in faculty, no booster gonna need to pay that to see you play. Shoot, you may get benched and profession is over. So like, you gotta take into consideration, what I’m saying?”
“If a college supplied me 250K proper now to go play for them and subsequent three years I dominate, get Heisman stuff, now you’re [going to be worth] 5 million, what I’m saying? Price 5 million, then you definately get to the professionals, so it’s simply long-term in regards to the NIL stuff. I don’t actually fear about that stuff proper now. I do know that if I do my factor, it’s gonna come regardless.”
When it got here to the choice between Alabama and SMU, it was football-related for Russell, however the flip didn’t cease the Mustangs from making a last-minute push.
“With the flip from SMU to Alabama, the NIL, I imply, it’s nonetheless the identical,” Russell stated. “SMU had some worries, so that they was attempting to up it, however I instructed them, I used to be like, ‘Hey man, it is a full household factor. So like, I need you to really feel as if I’m doing this for us.’ So I imply, actually, yeah, like I stated, it’s a long-term factor for me.”
Outdoors of SMU and Alabama although, Russell revealed there have been three groups that made a late push for his providers, and that got here with some hefty NIL numbers: Texas, Colorado and LSU.
“They needed me, what I’m saying, to pursue up there,” Russell stated of the three colleges. “My title began to leap round lots of platforms and stuff. So lots of coaches opened up their eyes and Alabama was there earlier than it even all occurred. So I revered them for that. And shoot, Alabama got here to my follow, appeared in all probability one of many worst practices as a quarterback. Actually, I used to be off that day and for them to even give me the possibility to be their quarterback and noticed one thing into me.”
Nonetheless, there have been discussions about probably taking visits to these colleges as numbers had been being tossed round.
“It was, it was [a real thought],” Russell acknowledged. “Like, actually, who wouldn’t need to go to Colorado for actual? I imply, so it was, it was one thing that I used to be enthusiastic about after which phrases began getting round, false stuff. So I shut it down, stated, ‘Nah, I can’t do this.’
“So LSU, I used to be form of enthusiastic about it as nicely. Colorado, I used to be enthusiastic about it. Texas, I used to be enthusiastic about taking place there. I really went down there and earlier than I dedicated to Alabama, so I used to be form of enthusiastic about lots of it a bit of bit, however needed to keep dwelling, keep truthful to the world, to my followers and my individuals. [The three schools] threw some numbers. I imply, I can’t actually speak about that. I do know it’s, it’s large. Simply know that it’s large.”
On the finish of the day, whereas the cash was legit for Russell, his most important focus was soccer, which led him to the Crimson Tide.
“However like I stated, I ain’t actually fearful in regards to the cash, man. I’m right here to ball. I’m right here to play ball. They was doing it free again then. I’m doing it for [me] proper now, within the coronary heart, however simply getting the cash on the again finish, what I imply? So, yeah, nevertheless it was some provides thrown at me, clearly, being one of many top-ranked quarterbacks, you gonna get some cash inside that.”
Now locked and loaded with Alabama, Russell is happy about probably being the workforce’s subsequent quarterback ought to Jalen Milroe enter the NFL Draft, however is aware of it’ll be a troublesome journey and that he’ll have to compete to earn his place on the subsequent stage.
Nevertheless, regardless of being dedicated to the Crimson Tide for a while, it was nonetheless a troublesome course of for the five-star quarterback as colleges had been relentless of their pursuit of him until the very finish.
