The Georgia Bulldogs will have their hands full with Keelon Russell this weekend.
The Alabama redshirt freshman has been playing out of his mind lately ahead of the top 10 showdown between the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide this weekend. For Georgia to have any margin for error in this game, it’ll need to do something to get Russell off his game.
Georgia’s path to success against Kemon Russell begins with loads of pressure
Getting pressure is a must, especially against a mobile quarterback like Russell.
“Savvy, arm strength, pocket awareness,” head coach Kirby Smart said of Russell. “People will make him out to be a runner— he doesn't run unless he has to. He can. He scrambles to throw. He scrambles to run. He's accurate. He's smart. He's very talented.”
Russell shredded Mississippi State last week in an anticipated duel between him and quarterback Kamario Taylor. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns in the 56-23 victory. Russell was particularly sharp on third down and connected on multiple well-placed back shoulder throws.
Russell has thrown for at least 280 yards and three touchdowns in his last three games.
“Guy is really talented, fun to watch, and you've seen the growth just from the first game all the way through,” Smart said. “The talent this guy has is pretty incredible, and they have great scheme around him.”
Russell is a dynamic athlete with track speed, and has a cannon for an arm. He’s as good of an athlete as Georgia will face at the position, and is growing each week in the mental side of the game.
Georgia defensive lineman Elijah Griffin compared Russell to another former Alabama quarterback who has torched Georgia in the past.
“Keelon Russell, he's that guy,” Griffin said. “Really quick, kind of reminds me of Jalen Milroe a little bit obviously, but we’ve got to keep him in the trap. He's a great football player.”
The tale of two games vs Alabama in 2025
Arguably the biggest reason Georgia lost to Alabama about this time last year was because they could not lay a finger on quarterback Ty Simpson. It allowed him to sit back and find open receivers all day long, mostly because Georgia’s defensive backs simply couldn’t cover forever.
In the SEC championship rematch, it was a different story. Georgia constantly flustered Simpson, whose accuracy and footwork issues were exposed in a 28-7 Bulldogs win.
Russell is a much more dynamic athlete than Simpson, and a more gifted thrower, too. The likes of Gabe Harris, Quintavius Johnson, Griffin and Jordan Hall are going to need their best games as Bulldogs so far to get to Russell.
Georgia could also use some edge production from Chris Cole, Zayden Walker and possibly even Chase Linton, who recently returned from injury and played just four snaps against Vanderbilt last week.
No matter who it comes from, the Bulldogs need to get pressure with four rushers. If they rely too much on the blitz, they risk leaving large swaths of space for Russell to exploit.
Russell is the highest rated recruit in Alabama’s history and won the starting job as a redshirt freshman. He’s still green, but Smart downplayed the effects of experience when asked about its benefit for quarterback Gunner Stockton.
"I don't know that it's an advantage. It is what it is, is what I like to say,” Smart said. “They've got a tremendous quarterback that doesn't have a ton of experience. There's advantages in that.”
Still, Russell is a young guy who is going up against the best defense he’s ever played. And Cole, Raylen Wilson and Justin Williams are absolute weapons as blitzers if Glenn Schumann deploys them wisely. Harris and Johnson are playing their best ball right now, too. The weather might play a factor, too.
Plus, the Bulldogs sent some cornerback blitzes last week against Vanderbilt that could signal some unexpected pressures coming Russell’s way. Whatever the case, they’ve got to find a way to rattle him.
It might be a long day if they can’t.
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