keelon russell: WATCH: $1.7M NIL-valued Alabama star Keelon Russell shows off icy new watch

Keelon Russell has yet to take the field for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but he is already showing the kind of game he brings off the field on his social media accounts.

On Sunday, the $1.7 million NIL-worth (per On3) freshman quarterback posted an Instagram story with a video showing off his new piece of jewelry: a custom-made Icy Skeleton Cartier watch with thorns.

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The detailed piece of jewelry was made by jeweler David Caston, who was also tagged in Russell's story.

The Duncanville, Texas, native was the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the Class of 2025. He originally committed to play for the SMU Mustangs, but eventually backed out and flipped to Alabama.

During his final year of high school football, Russell was named Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Russell is immersed in a position battle with Ty Simpson and Austin Mack. Simpson, a junior who served as Jalen Milroe's backup in 2024, enters the battle as the more experienced passer and probably has the inside track to start early in the season.

However, Russell and Mack are believed to be in a battle for playing time. Mack was the No. 8 prospect in the 2023 class. He originally enrolled at Washington, but followed then-Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa. Having two seasons under DeBoer's system could help the Folsom, California native.

The position will be determined during fall camp, ahead of the regular season. Alabama will open the season at Florida State on Aug. 30.

Keelon Russell makes list of potential impact freshmen

As part of their coverage of 100 days before the start of the college football season, ESPN made several top ten lists. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell was high on the countdown of freshmen to watch in 2025.

Russell is in second place on that list, only behind Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood.

"Similar to Bryce Underwood, Russell -- a former SMU pledge -- steps into an uncertain quarterback situation behind Ty Simpson and Austin Mack this fall," the article read. "Whether it's 2025 or beyond, Russell will get a shot to start for the Crimson Tide sooner rather than later."

As the article mentioned, even if Russell doesn't get the starting job this season, he is expected to be the future of Kalen DeBoer's squad at the position. Russell is also one of only three quarterbacks on the list, with Colorado Buffaloes' Julian Lewis ranked No. 6.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Ribin Peter