Tristen Russell
Tristen Russell
About Tristen
Expert Analysis
Michael Knight | Prep Redzone Scout
We go from one of the more underrated playmakers in Class 6A-1 to one of the more underrated quarterbacks, not only in 6A-1, but in the state’s 2023 class. Mustang quarterback
Tristen Russell
Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
is one of the better quarterbacks in the state. And when it comes to him as a prospect, the biggest thing holding him back is his height. But we’ve watched Russell several times in person and every time we watch him, we don’t see a quarterback who is south of 6’0. We see a quarterback who plays much bigger than the height that’s listed on the roster. Russell also benefits from having some legit weapons around him at wide receiver that will end up at the D1 level.
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Another quarterback that has been limited with his recruitment because of questions about his height is Mustang signal caller
Tristen Russell
Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
. And just like Francis at Metro Christian, we don’t care about Russell’s height. Now, it’s true that Russell has some fantastic playmakers around him like
Jacobe Johnson
Jacobe
Johnson
6'4" | DB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
and
Keegan Bass
Keegan
Bass
5'9" | 175 lbs | WR
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
. But take those guys away and just evaluate Russell’s game and you’ll be impressed. He can sling it all over the field with a strong arm and zip on his passes. Russell also does a good job throwing the ball on the run while moving the pocket around. The accuracy of his passes don’t go down much when he’s on the move. Just like with Francis, there are some schools that are going to be kicking themselves that they didn’t recruit Russell.
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Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
had a very efficient and quick night throwing the ball. Russell finished with nearly 300 yards in the air and five touchdowns and he completed just eleven passes on the night. Russell has been an underrated prospect at the quarterback position. But as he has shown all season and even last year, he belongs in the conversation with some of the better QB’s in the state’s 2023 class.Access all of Prep Redzone
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Read EvaluationMichael Knight | Prep Redzone Scout
On Thursday night, it was our first chance to see Mustang senior quarterback
Tristen Russell
Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
in person this season. We talked with Mustang head coach Lee Blankenship two weeks ago about the growth of Russell as a quarterback and he and I agreed that Russell is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the state. And what was really impressive to watch on Thursday night was Russell’s toughness as Union’s front seven absolutely got after him. They came up with quite a few sacks and big plays in the backfield. But despite that, Russell finished with 52 yards on the ground. The run game was what got it done so Russell didn’t have to throw it as much. But he’s shown this season that he can torch opposing secondaries, especially getting the ball to Bass and Johnson and letting them make plays.
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Read EvaluationMichael Knight | Prep Redzone Scout
Mustang senior quarterback
Tristen Russell
Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
is one of the most underrated prospects in the state’s 2023 class. That word gets thrown around a lot in recruiting circles but it’s the truth with Russell. He has everything you want in a quarterback but he’s south of 6’0 and there are always going to be measurable concerns with a quarterback under 6’0. But watch Russell’s game and you can see fairly quickly that size doesn’t come into the equation of the game at all. In the last few weeks, Russell has completed over 80 percent of his passes, including going 19-21 in last week’s rivalry win over Yukon. He has gotten better and better over the last two seasons, working on his mechanics and footwork to become a better player. There are quarterbacks who have better measurables than Russell but few that are more skilled.
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Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
as they continued their dominance over rival Yukon, this time in the district opener for both teams. Russel threw for 269 yards and four touchdowns while only having two incompletions on the night. Russell is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the state and he’s truly one of the best QB’s in Class 6A-1. The more we write that, the more we need to just move on and say he’s no longer underrated and he’s one of the best in 6A-1. There’s no doubt that he has great weapons around him but he’s an absolute gunslinger.Access all of Prep Redzone
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Read EvaluationMichael Knight | Prep Redzone Scout
Tristen
Russell
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Mustang | 2023
State
OK
put up some historic numbers. He threw for nearly 400 yards and seven touchdowns on 22-26 passing. The seven touchdowns was good for a school record and we’ve said it once and we’ll say it again. Russell is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the state and he’s showing why he deserves more respect. He has weapons all around him but he is an absolute gunslinger and he is primed to have a very big senior season.Access all of Prep Redzone
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