keelon russell
When the Alabama offense takes the field for the first time at Kentucky, Keelon Russell will be under center for the Crimson Tide.
The highly touted dual-threat quarterback was the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. In his debut against East Carolina, he completed 18-of-30 passes for 256 yards and was sacked once. He also had a team-high 13 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Throughout the offseason, Kentucky fans have been salivating at the chance to host a quarterback making his first start on the road in the SEC. It sounds like a ripe opportunity for the Kentucky defense to tee off, but how do quarterbacks actually perform in this spot? Let's take a closer look at how other notable quarterbacks fared in their first SEC road start.
The college football world anointed Arch Manning as the sport's next messiah, then was quick to bury him as a bust after a ho-hum performance (17-30, 170 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) in a loss at Ohio State. Some were willing to give him some grace against an elite defense. That grace was removed when he went to The Swamp.
In Manning's first SEC road start, he got very little help from his offensive line. He was sacked six times as Texas trailed for most of the game. He completed 16-of-29 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, but when the Horns needed a fourth-quarter comeback, the quarterback threw the ball to the other team. Manning was picked off twice in the final period as Texas fell 29-21 to Florida, one of only two SEC wins for the Gators in 2025.
Sam Leavitt has yet to hit the roard for the Bayou Bengals, but he did get a taste of the SEC last fall as the Arizona State starter. Things did not go well in Starkville for the Sun Devils.
In Leavitt's first game against a Power Conference opponent since appearing in the College Football Playoff, he was rattled by the cowbells. Leavitt completed 10-of-22 passes for 82 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
When Arizona State needed a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, Kenny Dillingham took the ball out of Leavitt's hands. The Sun Devils only threw the ball once, a third-and-seven, on a 17-play drive that ended with a field goal to give Arizona State the lead. Five plays later, Brenen Thompson socred a 58-yard game-winning touchdown for the Bulldogs.
The current Arizona State quarterback got one start under his belt at home against a G5 opponent before hitting the road to face an SEC foe. Things went about as poorly as possible.
Cutter Boley was strip-sacked by South Carolina, who recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. On the very next snap, his pass was tipped, intercepted, and returned for a touchdown. South Carolina scored two defensive touchdowns in two plays, effectively ending the game in the first half.
Boley finished 10-of-19 for 124 yards and two interceptions in the 35-13 loss at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Speaking of South Carolina, their talented young quarterback actually escaped with a win in his first SEC start. It wasn't because of the quarterback's play.
Kentucky could not call a pass play. If the quarterbacks weren't sacked, they weren't completing passes, finishing 6-of-17 for 44 yards in Bush Hamdan 's first time calling plays in the SEC.
Meanwhile, LaNorris Sellers was just fine for the Gamecocks. The South Carolina quarterback was contained in the run game, sacked four times by the Wildcats, and only attempted 14 passes. He completed 10 of them for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-6 win at Kroger Field.
DJ Lagway might be the closest comp to Keelon Russell. Lagway was the top-ranked quarterback and the No. 3 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. He played a little more than Russell did as a true freshman, but did not experience an SEC road environment until Florida traveled to Death Valley in 2025.
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