$1.3 Million Quarterback Makes Major NIL Move Before Freshman Season at Alabama

Russell’s current NIL valuation stands at $1.3 million. His first partnership was with Panini America. He ranks 37th among all college football players in NIL valuation, and 2nd among freshmen behind Michigan’s Bryce Underwood. Across all college athletes, he’s currently 78th according to On3's rankings.

Russell will enter fall camp with a shot at winning the starting quarterback job under new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. He’ll be competing with experienced returner Ty Simpson and promising youngster Austin Mack.

Back in February, Russell spoke with On3 Sports about his focus on staying grounded amid rising expectations and NIL attention:

"The best advice was to understand what’s coming towards you,” Russell said. “Understand that your profile is your profile. Understand that your name is your name. Building that is the most successful thing that you can do, especially with how the NIL space is getting bigger. The performances of the platforms are getting way more advanced. NIL is something that takes away from the aspects of football. Somebody told me, focus on the key things."

Russell originally committed to SMU, but after a standout senior season at Duncanville High School in Texas, he flipped his commitment to Alabama. One of the key reasons? The development of Michael Penix Jr. under DeBoer at Washington, a path Russell hopes to follow.

This story of Russell’s gift to his mother stands out as an awesome example of how NIL is already helping student-athletes make life-changing decisions for themselves and their families.