Alabama QB commit Keelon Russell confident he can flip Texas five-star WR pledges Jaime Ffrench, Kaliq Lockett
Russell is attempting to pull of a huge recruiting heist.
Alabama five-star quarterback commitment Keelon Russell has his eyes on Texas wide receiver commits Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench. Russell, the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback in the 2025 class, told national recruiting analyst Mike Roach that he’s looking to flip the Longhorns’ pair of five-star pass-catchers.
“Those Texas boys like Lockett and Ffrench — they think they are locked on, but I want them to come play with me,” Russell said this week. “We’re just trying to get some guys to flip and working on opening their minds to what we could do at Alabama.”
Alabama was one of Lockett’s five finalists and made one of his last two official visits to Tuscaloosa before pledging to Texas on Aug. 7, 2024. The five-star receiver plays high school ball at Sachse (Texas), less than an hour’s drive from Russell’s hometown of Duncanville. Lockett rates as the No. 12 overall prospect and No. 2 wide receiver in the class of 2025.
“If you want to come be legendary, you know where to find legendary,” Russell said to Lockett before his commitment to Texas. “Why wouldn’t you want to come be with the best?”
Ffrench initially committed to Alabama and honored his pledge for six months before re-opening his recruitment two days after Nick Saban announced his retirement in January. He picked Texas in August over finalists Miami, LSU and Tennessee. Ffrench is rated as the No. 19 overall prospect and No. 4 wide receiver in the class of 2025.
“[Saban’s retirement] was a big reason, but it wasn’t the whole reason I decommitted,” Lockett said in January. “Nobody there recruited me no more. I wanted to take a big step back. I wanted to look at things again. Schools were head over heels for me. I wanted some more time to look at things.”
Ffrench was the leading receiver for a Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin program that went 11-4 and played for a state 4M title during his junior season. His commitment was seen as a major step forward for Texas as it looks to shed boundaries and establish itself as a national recruiting power. Ffrench said his recruitment is “110% done” in late
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“I committed during my official visit on June 22,” Ffrench told national recruiting analyst Tom Loy. “I was there on the official visit with Kaliq Lockett and (Texas QB commit) KJ Lacey. We were just seeing what it could be. I always had a good feeling about Texas. That’s why I had them as my last visit. I had my mind made up for sure. [My recruitment] is 110% done. It’s Texas all the way. No more visits. Only visits are to Texas.”