Alabama football’s five-star quarterback commit, Keelon Russell feels like he is already QB1 when he is in contact with the Crimson Tide coaching staff.
Russell was a recent guest on “The Momentum Podcast” on YouTube and reflected back on his decision to commit to the Crimson Tide and shared how contact is now with Alabama’s staff.
“The first time I talked to Coach DeBoer and what I seen with him, what he did with Penix, with Washington, him and Nick Sheridan, the offensive coordinator,” Russell said.
“I said, bro, they’re gonna make me great with my talents that I have. They’re gonna make me an amazing quarterback, talented quarterback. The highest level of coaching, I believe is gonna come from these guys. I’m gonna fit in great with this program. I’m gonna fit in, have to do what I gotta do. Like when me and Coach Sheridan, we share film. It just be straight flow. Like, it’s like, oh, yeah. I feel like I be QB1 already. Like Jalen Miroe, you’re at the gate. Like Keelon Russell’s in. That’s how I really feel when I’m on the phone with those guys.”
Russell is currently attempting to lead Duncanville High School to another state championship.
This article first appeared on Touchdown Alabama Magazine and was syndicated with permission.
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Massive defensive target set to return to Michigan football on Saturday against Oregon
Most of the talk surrounding Michigan football is revolving around five-star quarterback, Bryce Underwood. The Wolverines are making a strong pitch to flip the top-ranked 2025 prospect away from LSU. But Michigan is after plenty of other ’25 prospects as well. One being four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng.
The IMG Academy prospect announced on social media on Wednesday evening that he would be attendance to see Michigan play Oregon this Saturday in the Big House. According to the Composite, Owusu-Boateng is considered the 107th-ranked recruit in the country and the No. 11 linebacker. He stands at 6-foot and 205-pounds. He took an official visit back in June and Michigan Wolverines on SI’s Senior Writer, Trent Knoop, spoke with Owusu-Boateng about the official visit. “Having a chance to go up there with my family this time – me getting a full circle moment,” Owusu-Boateng told us back in July. “Me talking to coach BJ [Brian Jean-Mary), coach [Sherrone] Moore, Coach Wink [Martindale], just all of those coaches combined. So, I could see if Michigan was a real fit for me. It was a visit that exceeded all of my expectations when I left my visit.
“The people at Michigan really care about you and your development. Not only as a football player, but as a man. That’s from the head coach on throughout to coach Tress [S C coach], he really cares about your development on and off the field as well. Everybody is on the same page, and they aren’t comfortable even though they just won a national championship. They have a championship to defend.” The star linebacker hopes to make a decision by December 4. He will pick between Michigan, Colorado, Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, and Florida. Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –
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Canadiens May Have Seen Enough of Arber Xhekaj; Official Announcement Expected Soon
As we mentioned in recent hours, several changes occurred today with the Montreal Canadiens. On offense, Emil Heineman has been promoted to the first line, Alex Newhook has been moved to the third line, and Oliver Kapanen received a significant vote of confidence from Martin St-Louis. On defense, the Canadiens announced that Justin Barron and Kaiden Guhle will travel with the team to Washington, and both defensemen are expected to return to the lineup as soon as tomorrow night. Obviously, these returns come with big decisions, and it seems MSL has made his choice. Arber Xhekaj returns as the 7th defenseman, as Martin St-Louis has seen enough for now During the morning practice, ‘the Sheriff’ was paired with Logan Mailloux, forming what many considered the “4th” defensive pair.
This was confirmed minutes later with Mailloux’s reassignment to the Laval Rocket: Xhekaj now finds himself alone, as an “extra” defenseman without a partner. It certainly looks like Xhekaj will be OUT tomorrow night in Washington. We await the official announcement, which is expected tomorrow morning, but all signs point to the Canadiens having seen enough for now, with Xhekaj headed straight back to the stands. This is significant, and here’s why. Arber Xhekaj has never been chosen by Martin St-Louis this season. Never.
Each time he’s been inserted into the lineup, it was due to injuries. At the season’s start, Jayden Struble was injured, so ‘the Sheriff’ filled in. Then, when Struble returned, Xhekaj was benched, only returning when injuries piled up for Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, and Justin Barron. Clearly, Xhekaj is currently the 7th defenseman when everyone is healthy. This raises big questions about Arber Xhekaj’s future with the Montreal Canadiens, as many believe he deserves better than just being a 7th defenseman. A situation to follow in the coming hours.
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Colts’ Anthony Richardson addresses ‘tired’ controversy, benching
On Wednesday, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen insisted that his decision to bench starting quarterback Anthony Richardson in favor of backup Joe Flacco had nothing to do with Richardson going to the sidelines for one play during this past Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans because the second-year pro was “tired.” Richardson later accepted responsibility for the moment many believe resulted in Flacco getting the nod for this Sunday night’s matchup between 4-4 Indianapolis and the 5-2 Minnesota Vikings.
“Regarding that play, I know I can’t do that as a leader, especially as a quarterback of this team. Especially as a football player in general,” Richardson said about tapping out against Houston, as shared by Nick Shook of the NFL’s website. “I can’t just bring myself out of the game like that, especially in key moments like that. But you live and you learn. Just gotta grow from it.” Multiple former NFL players publicly ripped Richardson for exiting a game due to fatigue. Being relegated to QB2 duties is just the latest frustrating development for the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, who thus far has made just 10 career regular-season starts and who was previously labeled by some as “injury-prone” before he left much to be desired with his play. According to Pro Football Reference, Richardson began Wednesday ranked last in the NFL with a 57.2 passer rating, a 32.4% passing success rate and a 44.4% completion percentage on the season.
He indicated on Wednesday that he’ll use the benching “as an opportunity to grow and learn from [his] mistakes.” It appears Richardson could spend the next couple of months growing and learning, as Steichen said on Wednesday that Flacco will be his QB1 “going forward.” Richardson may not take another meaningful snap this season as long as Flacco stays healthy and plays as well as he did with the Cleveland Browns during the 2023 campaign. “Of course it hurts,” Richardson added about the benching. “As a competitor, definitely don’t want to be told I’m not the guy anymore for the upcoming week.”
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NHL
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins calls out Oilers teammates after Connor McDavid injury
The Edmonton Oilers are dealing with a worst-case scenario – an injury to superstar captain Connor McDavid; the injury occurred during Monday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
McDavid fell awkwardly while chasing a loose puck into the offensive zone, with his left leg absorbing most of the impact against the boards. He left the game, and the Oilers soon announced that his night was over. He’s returning to Edmonton for further evaluation while his teammates continue their road swing. The game couldn’t have gone worse for the Oilers, who fell by a 6-1 final score to the Blue Jackets thanks to an exceptionally poor outing from goaltender Stuart Skinner.
One key member of the Oilers who will need to step up their game in McDavid’s absence is forward Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, who called out the rest of his teammates for their lack of response to the injury in the wake of the disappointing loss, via X. “Yeah, I mean, of course, he’s our leader and also the best player in the game,” he said. “Of course, you’re going to feel it. We got to do a better job of stepping up when a guy like that goes down, though.” The Oilers, who were 24 hours removed from a 3-2 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit, offered little resistance against the Blue Jackets.
They’ll take on the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Oilers captain Connor McDavid returned to Edmonton for evaluation The Oilers released a concerning update shortly after the final horn against the Blue Jackets, as it was announced that McDavid would not be joining his teammates for the remainder of their road trip and would instead return back to Edmonton for further evaluation. The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the Most Valuable Player in the 2024 postseason despite being on the losing side, McDavid has registered three goals and seven assists in 10 games played in 2024-25.
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