Keelon Russell and the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide dropped their second straight game on Saturday, falling to 5-2 on the 2026 college football season and 3-2 in SEC play after a 26-10 loss to DeSean Bishop and the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers. Now, Alabama will look to turn things around in Week 8, hosting the Texas A&M Aggies.
Russell had arguably his worst passing game against Tennessee. The sophomore quarterback from Duncanville, Texas, completed 19-of-29 passes for 147 yards and two interceptions, adding six yards and a touchdown on the ground.
But through his first seven games as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, Russell has proven to be one of the best in the nation. He has completed 129-of-191 passes for 1,746 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions, adding 231 yards and another five scores with his feet.
Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
Despite the recent losses to Tennessee and the Georgia Bulldogs, Russell’s numbers have been good enough to earn him a 90.0 grade on Pro Football Reference (PFF). This is good for the seventh-highest grade among all quarterbacks in the Power 4, which includes the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC.
Russell also ranks with the third-best grade in the SEC, and only trails Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez (91.4) by 1.4 for the highest-graded quarterback in the Power 4.
The full list of PFF’s top-graded quarterbacks includes:
- Gio Lopez – Wake Forest Demon Deacons – 91.4
- Darian Mensah – Miami Hurricanes – 91.2
- Sam Leavitt – LSU Tigers – 90.7
- Conner Weigman – Houston Cougars – 90.3
- Jayden Maiava – USC Trojans – 90.2
- Gunner Stockton – Georgia Bulldogs- 90.1
- Keelon Russell – Alabama Crimson Tide – 90.0
- Michael Hawkins Jr. – West Virginia Mountaineers – 89.8
- Drew Mestemaker – Oklahoma State Cowboys – 89.1
- Noah Fifita – Arizona Wildcats – 88.7
“Highest Graded QBs in College Football This Season🎯,” PFF College wrote on X.
Russell and Alabama will take on Texas A&M on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET before a bye in Week 9.
