Kalen DeBoer on Keelon Russell not playing more: 'There are two guys that are so much further ahead in verbiage'

Alabama fans got their first look at five-star freshman quarterback Keelon Russell in the Crimson Tide’s 73-0 drumming of Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday.

Russell was one of three quarterbacks to see game action for the Tide in the blowout. Just like starter Ty Simpson and backup Austin Mack, he excelled. The freshman completed 4/6 passes for 65 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

During Wednesday’s edition of ‘Hey Coach & The Kalen DeBoer Show‘, DeBoer reflected on Russell’s first career appearance in an Alabama jersey. He revealed that although Simpson and Mack remain far ahead of him when it comes to running an offense, the team was very excited for him following his strong start in Tuscaloosa.

“You got a little taste of what we get to see in practice,” DeBoer said. “Again, there are steps. It’s like ‘why aren’t you playing him more?’ But there are steps that he has taken. He’s continued to go up, but there are just two guys (Ty Simpson and Austin Mack) that are so much further ahead in the verbiage of the offense when it comes to the spring. It’s complicated. We love to make it as simple as we can, but in the end our system… there are a lot of working parts to it.”

“There’s a lot of things whether it’s communication or execution or the reads. There’s simple ones, but when we get to doing what we want to do maximize what we think we’re capable of, it’s got some pieces to it that take time. He got on the field and I think what was really cool was how excited the team was for them.”

Absolute strike from Keelon Russell.

Arm power & accuracy on full display for the true freshman. pic.twitter.com/6ALpnbfKCD

— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) September 7, 2025

Russell is currently QB No. 3 behind Austin Mack

“He’s obviously been through a lot and just everyone was really happy for him because he’s been just so steady. So steady through it all. We’re excited that he had his moment there and hopefully there’s many more.”

Russell was a five-star recruit (ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2025), while backup Austin Mack was a four-star recruit (ranked No. 219 in Class of 2023) and transferred to Alabama with DeBoer from Washington. They battled for the backup job through camp, but Mack ultimately earned the honor.

“I expected both of them to play well,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said following the UL-Monroe game regarding Russell and Mack. “They’ve done a lot of those same things in practice and leading to that moment. So I think you wanted to see how they perform in a stadium full of people and if they can make easy decisions.”

“I think they both did a good job. Took care of the ball, didn’t put it in jeopardy, made some good decisions. Obviously both had success getting the ball in the end zone, so they did well.”

Alabama is back in action at home on Saturday against Wisconsin. Kick-off is scheduled for 12:00 PM on ABC.