FSU football's defense faces unique challenge in Keelon Russell

Nairavoice | Sep 15, 2026 1d ago 302 0 4 min read

FSU football's defense faces unique challenge in Keelon Russell

Mike Norvell didn’t mince his words when assessing the challenge that Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell brings to Florida State football’s defense.

“He’s a scary football player,” Norvell said during his weekly press conference on Sept. 14 when asked what kind of threat Russell presents to his team.

It’s high praise for the former 5-star quarterback and second-year signal caller for No. 10 Alabama. Through two games, Russell has thrown for 444 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, while adding 77 rushing yards and a score.

The stats aren’t the most jaw-dropping, but Russell has navigated the Crimson Tide to a 2-0 start while showing the flashes of potential that led to Kalen DeBoer naming the sophomore his starter. While an inconsistent start, Russell is still commanding respect from the Seminoles (1-1) and Norvell, who can’t afford another slip-up.

He’s a mobile quarterback who will present a dual-threat challenge to the Seminoles’ defense, an area that has been an issue in the past.

“You got to be able to account for him. You got to make sure that you can try to get him out of rhythm, but even when things break down, you better play with great pursuit. You better make sure that if you’re in coverage and things happen to break down, we’re gonna do a great job of sticking on very talented receivers that are out there on the edge,” Norvell said.

“You can see his playmaking ability. And it’s one of the things that they love about him is that, even when it doesn’t always look exactly how you might draw it up, he could still make a lot of great things happen.”

Russell excels in play action, which, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Alabama runs 47.8% of the time. He has an 84.3 grade from PFF when operating in the play action on 32 dropbacks, so the Seminoles defense will have to be keyed in when play actions are called.

A position group that will have to step up for FSU if it wants any chance to stun Alabama for a second season will be the linebackers.

What makes that challenge harder is the depleted nature of the room, which will be without standout freshman Izayia Williams and fellow freshman Daylen Green for the rest of the season, while veteran Blake Nichelson will be out for the contest against Alabama.

It’s a challenge for linebacker coach Ernie Sims to tackle, but his entire room has embraced the “next man up mentality.” Sims stressed that the linebackers, and the defense as a whole, need to play to the FSU standard against Alabama and stay sharp when trying to contain Russell.

“He puts strain on every single position. Defensive line, how do we have control rushes? How do we keep him in the pocket? How do we not allow him to do what he does best, right? Run from the linebackers and then hold the back end. He has the ability to extend plays. In the red zone and in the goal line, he has the ability to be that plus-one player,” Sims said.

“He’s challenging. You have to really be very detailed with your game plan with him.”

(Current Record 1-1, 0-1 ACC)

vs. New Mexico State | 34-17 W

vs. SMU* | 27-24 L

Bye