Alabama Signee Keelon Russell Named Gatorade National Football Player of the Year

The 2025 Crimson Tide quarterback commit takes home the ultimate honor after a jaw-dropping season.

Alabama QB Signee Keelon Russell / Obtained from Keelon Russell's X/Twitter

Alabama commit and signee Keelon Russell received the ultimate honor of being named the 2024-25 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year on Wednesday.

The quarterback from Duncanville, Texas beat out fellow finalists 2025 Auburn signee Alvin Henderson and five-star 2026 offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell. Former Alabama and current Dallas Cowboys standout cornerback Trevon Diggs presented the award to Russell.

BPsi Phi‼️

Trevon Diggs present Keelon Russell with the Gatorade National Player of the Year.@TrevonDiggs @Pres1dential
pic.twitter.com/rT1YUptPgT

— Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium (@BryantDenny_UA) December 11, 2024

“Russell is dangerous with the ball in his hand, he can hurt you in so many ways,” said DeSoto High School head coach Claude Mathis in a press release. “I thought he kept plays alive a lot better this year and was always looking downfield on the scramble drill to make something happen. He’s effective because he can throw and run—that’s a dangerous combination.”

Russell was dominant throughout the high school football season as he threw for 3,652 yards with a jaw-dropping 52 touchdowns and just two interceptions with a stellar 71.5 completion percentage.

Russell, along with a heavy majority of the rest of the Crimson Tide's 2025 class put the pen to paper on Early National Signing Day on Dec. 4. A few hours later, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer opened up about several signees, including the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.

"Keelon, it’s really cool when you think about the recruiting process with him because you continue to think of it as there are eyes that we have and feelings that we have when you watch the film that are one thing and it jumps out at you," DeBoer said. "But I think there are other details that we saw on the film that when we saw him in person were verified when the coaching staff went out in the spring to see him. It's like 'Wow this guy is what we think’ and these little nuances that we think are special, definitely are.

"You see the production this fall is on another level. Then there’s the leadership piece and the personality just there’s a swagger about him, a confidence about him...He’s helped become a major part of bringing and keeping this class together, which is what you want out of any leader especially these key guys, especially your quarterback."

Read More: Alabama's Top Positions of Need in Transfer Portal

Former Alabama Cornerback Officially Inducted Into College Football Hall of Fame: Roll Call, December 11, 2024

Alabama Quarterback Jalen Milroe Selected as 2024 Campbell Trophy Recipient