Alabama QB Keelon Russell Gets Jayden Daniels Buzz After Historic Starting Debut
· Yahoo Sports
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell needed only one start to give the college football world another reason to wonder how high his ceiling might be.
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Russell accounted for 342 yards of total offense in Alabama’s 48-10 season-opening victory over East Carolina, finishing 18-of-30 for 256 passing yards while adding a team-high 86 rushing yards and a touchdown. It was the second-highest total-offense output by an Alabama quarterback making his first career start, trailing Bryce Young’s mark of 343 yards by just one.
Now the performance is generating another round of NFL-related buzz.
Rookie Watch, which describes its coverage as focused on the next generation of athletes, highlighted Russell’s East Carolina tape Thursday and pointed toward the lofty evaluation surrounding Alabama’s sophomore quarterback.
“TRENDING: Keelon Russell’s tape against East Carolina was SOMETHING ELSE,” Rookie Watch wrote. “One NFL scout reportedly thought Russell looked ‘far more advanced’ than most sophomore QBs. There’s a reason why NFL evaluators see Jayden Daniels as a COMPARISON.”
The Jayden Daniels connection itself is not new. On3’s scouting department compared Russell to Daniels coming out of high school, pointing toward similarities in their frames, accuracy, arm talent and ability to create outside the pocket. Russell has also said publicly that Daniels and Lamar Jackson are quarterbacks he studies.
Keelon Russell Could Hardly Have Started Better
There is plenty to like about what Russell showed against East Carolina.
CBS Sports noted that he appeared comfortable working through progressions, flashed his mobility and generally looked composed despite making his first career start. Russell did not throw a touchdown pass, but Alabama scored on five consecutive drives to begin the game and finished with 487 yards of offense.
Still, this is where the hype deserves some brakes.
East Carolina was Russell’s first start. Alabama was heavily favored, playing at home and possessed a substantial talent advantage. One impressive afternoon does not suddenly make a sophomore quarterback the next Daniels.
It does, however, give Russell about as encouraging of a starting point as Alabama could have wanted.
Kentucky Will Give Alabama QB a More Revealing Test
Saturday should teach everyone a little more. Alabama travels to Kentucky for Russell’s first career road start. Kroger Field gives him an SEC environment away from the comforts of Tuscaloosa, and Wildcats coach Will Stein has publicly urged Kentucky fans to create a disruptive atmosphere for the young quarterback.
Kentucky is not Georgia, but it is a formidable step up from East Carolina and a useful part of Russell’s learning curve. If he handles his first SEC road environment with the same composure he showed in Week 1, the excitement surrounding him becomes more interesting. Alabama’s schedule will eventually provide an even bigger measuring stick when Georgia visits Tuscaloosa on Oct. 10.
For now, comparing Russell to an NFL star such as Daniels remains extremely premature. But 342 yards in his starting debut, nearly matching an Alabama mark set by Young, is one heck of a way to begin proving why so many people are excited about him.
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