Keelon Russell of Duncanville High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Texas Football Player ofthe Year (Source: Duncanville High School)
DUNCANVILLE, Texas – Duncanville High School quarterback Keelon Russell was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound senior quarterback led the Panthers (12-0) to the 6A Division I state quarterfinals this past season, passing for 3,652 yards and 52 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Russell completed 71.5 percent of his passes, averaging 12.7 yards per attempt. He also rushed for 254 yards and two touchdowns through 12 games.
He is also a member of Duncanville’s National Honor Society. Russell maintained a 3.4 GPA in the classroom.
After winning the big award, he spent time reading to kids at Uplift Pinnacle, a public charter school in Oak Cliff. He is part of a program called Champions for Literacy. Kids got to see his State Championship rings and other gear.
He is also raising money to support literacy efforts like buying books for students. He said his message to the kids was to be confident.
“You build off what you are doing,” said Russell. “You set yourself to have high expectations when you have confidence. When you attack every goal with confidence, you are going to have a successful outcome.”
Russell will play football for the University of Alabama next year.
Duncanville has a big game this weekend. They will play North Crowley in the State semi-final round on Saturday.
“Russell is dangerous with the ball in his hand, he can hurt you in so many ways,” said DeSoto High School head coach Claude Mathis. “I thought he kept plays alive a lot better this year and was always looking downfield on the scramble drill to make something happen. He’s effective because he can throw and run—that’s a dangerous combination.”
Gatorade Player of the Year is in its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes.
Russell is the first athlete from Duncanville High School to ever receive the award.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The award distinguishes Russell as Texas’ best high school football player, and he’s also been selected as a finalist for the distinguished Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award to be announced in December.
With his selection, Russell joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as Emmitt Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Fl.), Peyton Manning (1993-94, Isidore Newman School, La.) and DJ Lagway (2023-24, Willis High School, Texas). He also joins recent Gatorade Texas Football Players of the Year DJ Lagway (2023-24, Willis High School), Jackson Arnold (2022-23, Guyer High School), Cade Klubnik (2021-22, Westlake High School) and Sawyer Robertson (2020- 21, Coronado High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports – football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross-country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field – and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.
