Wednesday is National Early Signing Day for college football and the Alabama Crimson Tide program is celebrating in style by announcing numerous new signings on its social media throughout the morning.

5-star quarterback Keelon Russell has put pen to paper and signed with the Crimson Tide, making head coach Kalen Deboer his signal-caller potentially the crown jewel of the Class of 2025. Russell was joined on Instagram Live by Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams as quarterback signed his letter of intent.

Standing at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Russell is ranked as the No. 2 quarterback and No. 2 overall player in the Class of 2025 by the 247Sports Composite.

The Texas product was originally committed to SMU but transferred to Alabama over the summer after getting to know DeBoer and his coaching staff.

Russell has been Duncanville High School’s starting quarterback for four seasons and is currently trying to lead his team to its third straight Texas 6A state championship as the Panthers defeated The Woodlands 42-20 in the third round on Friday night.

He follows fellow Alabama quarterbacks Blake Barnett and Tua Tagovailoa and Julian Sayin as winners of the Elite 11, as Russell fought his way into the California quarterback competition and wowed scouts on his way to victory. Russell’s performance at Elite 11 saw him rise rapidly up the recruiting boards. Thanks to his performance in camp and his strong senior year, he went from a 4-star prospect to a top-5 player in his class.

In 12 games in 2024, Russell had 3,652 passing yards, 52 touchdowns and two interceptions with a rare 71.5% completion percentage. He had 254 rushing yards and two scores on 25 carries.