Keelon Russell flashes as Alabama blasts East Carolina, 48-10
By Ethan Stone
Published:
It doesn’t take a football genius to see that Alabama’s Keelon Russell is profoundly talented.
The Alabama sophomore is only going to get better, too. He turned in a strong 2026 debut on Saturday, leading the Crimson Tide to a 48-10 win over what should be a decent East Carolina team out of the AAC.
Russell did a good job of targeting numerous receivers on Saturday. He completed 17 of his 29 passing attempts to 7 different receivers (8 if you count a pass he caught himself), good for 249 passing yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also made a huge impact with his legs, escaping several sacks while posting 13 carries for 86 yards and 1 touchdown.
Russell needs to learn to slide and cut losses when plays fully break down — which will surely come with more starts under his belt — but his first outing of the 2026 season was overwhelmingly positive.
Despite a rough start, Ryan Coleman-Williams led the Crimson Tide in receptions and receiving yards on Saturday. He dropped 2 open passes in the first half but pulled himself together and finished with 5 receptions for 130 yards on the afternoon. While drops are certainly still a question mark surrounding Coleman-Williams this early season, he’s still as shifty as any receiver in the country after the catch.
With Saturday’s win, the Tide are now 1-0 heading into Week 2’s SEC opener at Kentucky.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
