Kalen DeBoer sheds light on Alabama star recruit Keelon Russell's weight program

Kalen DeBoer held a press conference after Alabama’s first spring practice of 2025 on Monday. The Crimson Tide are looking to get back on track in the upcoming season following the disappointment of 2024, with returning to the College Football Playoff their big goal.

One of the issues Kalen DeBoer was questioned about was the weight program of five-star recruit Keelon Russell. Despite the amazing talent of the quarterback, he's still getting in the right frame to compete in college football. The coach addressed this in his session on Monday.

“I saw him last summer and saw him in person for one game last fall,” DeBoer said (Timestamp 5:02). He was in pads and all of that at that time, too. He looks good right now. [He's] strong and moves around. He's just a good all-around athlete.”

“The weight program, certainly for any new guy, is going to be critical. It’s good to get that first phase under your belt. That’s why being an early enrollee is so important.”

“Obviously, now and through the spring, the reason–there’s multiple reasons–but one of the reasons why we go every other day and not back-to-back ever is just so we can get big days of lifting in a minimum three times a week.”

Keelon Russell will be out to compete for Alabama's starting quarterback role in the spring camp. He will hope to convince Kalen DeBoer and his staff with his highly regarded talent in practice.

Kalen DeBoer has high praise for Keelon

In his press conference session on Monday, Kalen DeBoer was asked to assess Keelon Russell’s readiness as a freshman quarterback in comparison to others he has coached. The coach offered high praise for the quarterback, speaking highly of his early performance.

“He’s up there,” DeBoer said (Timestamp 8:08). “He certainly is. He’s got a long way to go because I think that’s the way he looks at it. He’s excited about what this growth’s going to be even during this spring.”

“But his ceiling and what he accomplished through what you can see on the high school film, he’s a pretty elite quarterback coming in as a high school senior, current freshman for us.”

Kalen DeBoer now has a plethora of options at the quarterback position after many analysts believed it didn't work well with Jalen Milroe in 2024. The coach will make a detailed assessment of his options, including Ty Simpson and Austin Mack, and name his starter in the fall camp.