A mere two days after five-star senior quarterback Keelon Russell signed with Alabama, the Duncanville standout was named the Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year.
He is the first Panther ever to be honored with the award and the third Dallas-area player to win it in the last six years. The list includes Texas high school NFL standouts, including former Allen quarterback Kyler Murray, former Highland Park quarterback Matthew Stafford, and former Ennis quarterback Graham Harrell.
Russell was also named one of the three finalists for the Gatorade National Player of the Year honors, honored alongside running back Alvin Henderson from Alabama and left tackle Jackson Cantwell from Missouri.
Russell has thrown for 3,652 yards and 52 touchdowns, averaging 304.3 passing yards per game. He has thrown for more than 300 yards six times, has three games with six touchdown passes, and five touchdown passes in four additional contests.
He leads a unit tied for the second-largest signing class among Dallas-area schools.
Duncanville will try to be the 20th school in Texas high school football to win three consecutive titles. The Panthers take on Bridgeland today at Midway Panther Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
