The Texas native wowed the Elite 11 coaches with the way he did everything, both physically and mentally. Justin Hoover, Russell’s coach during the camp’s 7-on-7 tournament, noted something that he saw after Russell made an on-the-money throw to a wide-open receiver for what looked like a sure touchdown that ended up being dropped.
“Keelon goes to the kid as he’s coming back to the huddle: ‘Hey, it’s all good. Those are the hardest ones to catch when no one’s around you,’” Hoover told The Athletic at the time. “He just has this great feel and leadership and ability to calm everyone down. He was so impressive.”
This week, after seeing how Russell has thrived in his new role as the Crimson Tide’s starting QB, Hoover said he is not at all surprised the 19-year-old has blossomed this quickly in college.
“That’s him,” Hoover said. “There is just this calm to him. He’s the quarterback at Alabama now, but as the moments have gotten bigger in this stage of his career, it doesn’t look any bigger to him. I think it’s incredible. I think that’s his superpower.
