Former 5-star edge rusher from the 2023 recruiting class, Keon Keeley, has been labled as one of the most disappointing blue chip recruits in recent recruiting classes in an article published by 247Sports.
Keon Keeley has been in the Alabama football program for a year and a half. He’s already endured a coaching change and now two position changes that have stunted his growth. Regardless of the circumstances, far too many have already labled the 2023 5-star a “bust”, including 247Sports which published a list of the most disappointing 5-star recruits over the last two classes and it included Keeley.
Keeley was the No. 2 ranked player in the 247 composite in 2023, and a guy many expected to come in and have an immediate impact in Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide. But Keeley was a defensive end in high school and would be moving to outside linebacker in Nick Saban’s defense, so the transition wasn’t ever going to be as smooth as anyone hoped. Of course, Alabama also had Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell on either edge, two players who were ultimately drafted in the first two rounds of 2024’s NFL Draft.
When you see players like Ryan Williams and Zabien Brown making immediate impacts as freshmen, it’s only natural to expect others to do the same. But the truth is that most freshmen aren’t ready to play right away, and that doesn’t make them a bust.
Of course, Keeley is in his second year in the program, but he was tasked with learning a new system – and a completely new position to boot. After slimming down to play outside linebacker, Keeley spent the offseason bulking back up to play the “Bandit”, more of a traditional DE in Kane Wommack’s defensive system.
The truth is – whether you want to hear it or not – it’s never fair to label a player a bust within the first couple of years of college football. We place expectations on these kids and tear them down at the first sign of adversity. Players develop at their own pace. Not everyone is going to be a generational freak like Williams. It takes time for some.
