833604098 1110185151548942 5355698758572851300 N — Keelon Russell against Mississippi State (University of Alabama Athletics)

The Alabama Crimson Tide is trending up again after a dominant win in Starkville over the weekend.

The victory pushed Alabama to a 5-0 start for the first time under coach Kalen DeBoer. And new quarterback Keelon Russell is getting a lot of the credit.

After accounting for four touchdowns against Mississippi State, Russell found himself as one of the frontrunners in the latest odds to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy. And he’ll have another opportunity to impress the voters when the Tide hosts No. 2 Georgia this weekend.

Keep reading to learn more about Russell’s early case for the prestigious award and see who else is in the running + check out the latest Top 25 rankings heading into Week 6.

Keelon Russell chasing down Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith

831832675 1763458108104253 7641825683283205339 N — Keelon Russell scores a touchdown against Mississippi State (University of Alabama Athletics)

After the win over MSU, Russell sits in 11th in the country for most passing yards but on fewer attempts than anyone ahead of him. He is one of just eight quarterbacks to throw for 1400+ yards, 10+ touchdowns and complete at least 70 percent of his pass attempts.

Oh, and Russell also has 184 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Alabama’s offense has scored at least 45 points in five straight games to open the season, the first time that’s happened for the Tide since 2018. The team’s 49.6 points per game ranks second in the country.

Those numbers are why the Alabama quarterback has shot up the Heisman odds in recent weeks and he’s currently sitting as a consensus top four player among sportsbooks.

Russell temporarily was the frontrunner after Saturday’s win but was quickly surpassed after another big game from Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith is considered a heavy favorite at this point in the season, looking to become the first receiver to win the award since Alabama’s DeVonta Smith.

Week 6 college football rankings

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One week after reaching a historic milestone in the Associated Press rankings, Alabama moved up another spot to No. 6.

The Crimson Tide was the only team to move up in the top 7, leap frogging defending national champion Indiana. Alabama did not receive any first-place votes but was ranked as high as No. 2 on five different ballots.

Alabama was one of five SEC teams in the top 10 this week and one of nine teams in the top 20 including: