Keelon Russell is playing like a quarterback NFL teams are going to tank for in 2028. College football has been waiting roughly two and a half years for a quarterback to take over the sport, and after what Russell did against Mississippi State this past weekend, the wait might be over.

He is exactly what this sport needed and his game last Saturday put some NFL teams on his radar looking ahead to the future.

Why Keelon Russell is a different kind of prospect than Kamario Taylor

Kamario Taylor had his run as the quarterback everyone was talking about, and to be clear, he’s still a fantastic prospect. My only criticism of Taylor is the offense around him. You’re watching him make one simple read and throw the football. Is it fun to watch? Of course it is, especially in those offenses where the quarterback is pushing the ball downfield. But it doesn’t tell you as much as you want to know about what he can become as an NFL prospect.

Russell is a different story. He maneuvers a pocket. He makes full field reads. And he still has some of the craziest throws you will ever see. I’m not kidding when I say there were multiple times during that Mississippi State game when I got up off my couch because of a throw he made.

Now, this isn’t to say he’s a perfect quarterback. He isn’t. But this is a first-year starter making progressions and reads that four-year starters aren’t even making. That’s the part that should scare everybody.

Keelon Russell has already done something Arch Manning hasn’t

For years, we’ve heard about Arch Manning and what he could become. He could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. People are going to tank for him. That’s been the conversation for a long time.

You have not seen a game like the one Keelon Russell just had from Arch Manning in his entire career. I’m willing to stamp that. The scariest part is the trajectory. Russell’s getting better every single week, and he’s going to be part of this system for the long haul.

The rushing attack wasn’t perfect against Mississippi State. Doesn’t matter. When your quarterback can put dots all over the football field, a sputtering run game becomes a footnote instead of a crisis.

A bad game against Georgia won’t change the evaluation

Could Russell have a down game against Georgia? Sure. But I’m still going to be saying the same thing after that game that I’m saying right now.

This is a first-year starter who is going to keep learning and keep getting better. One rough Saturday doesn’t erase full field reads, pocket movement, and the type of throws that made me jump off the couch. Even if he has a bad game, he’s the type of player you want to tank for, because frankly, he’s ridiculous.

And I owe him an apology. I didn’t have Russell on my Heisman list. He’s definitively on it now. Am I overhyping Keelon Russell after one game? I don’t think so. I truly think he’s the quarterback this sport has been waiting on.