Keelon Russell’s Alabama rival Austin Mack drops a 2-word comment on his prom snaps

Keelon Russell was back at this high school this weekend for his prom night. The quarterback enrolled early at the University of Alabama in January and took part in the program's spring camp. There, he competed with two others for the 2025 starting role.

Russell shared some prom snaps on his Instagram page on Sunday, which generated a lot of attention from his friends, teammates and Alabama fans. Among those who reacted to the post was fellow quarterback, Austin Mack. The redshirt sophomore dropped a two-word comment on the post.

“Fly boy,” Mack wrote.

Instagram comment

Keelon Russell competed for the starting role with Mack and Ty Simpson during the spring camp. While the true freshman showed some glimpses of brilliance, he is not favored for the starting job ahead of the two other experienced quarterbacks in the room.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer was impressed with what he saw in Russell during the spring camp. He outlines what the next steps for the quarterback would be following the conclusion of the revised spring game in April.

“I think consistency,” DeBoer said. “He had some really big days. You saw a lot of flashes of what he is capable of, and then you saw some times where just the consistency not (being there), and sometimes that just means not making the big mistakes.

Russell would need to do better for an extended period to demand the starting job, that's for sure.

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Pete Thamel discusses Keelon Russell’s chances of starting for Alabama in 2025

Keelon Russell enrolled at Alabama as arguably the best quarterback in his class. While the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback role seems to be going to Ty Simpson at the moment, Pete Thamel noted that Russell is in the mix of true freshman quarterbacks who could start next season.

“I feel like who starts the season may not necessarily end the season (as the starter),” Thamel said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday. “You mentioned Ty Simpson, I’d think he’s the experienced, safe son-of-a-coach kind of a guy that they can roll out in Week 1.

“The name at ‘Bama that’s got some buzz is Keelon Russell. He was the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country. Is he the kind of guy that shows the coaches enough where he could eventually end up taking over?”

Should Keelon Russell earn the starting role next season, he will become the first true freshman to start for Alabama since Jalen Hurts in 2016.