Dallas Cowboys Travon Diggs Surprises Duncanville’s Keelon Russell with Gatorade Player of the Year Award

Two-time Texas high school football champ Keelon Russell is the 2024-25 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.

On Tuesday, after Russell and his Duncanville teammates finished practice for Saturday's Class 6A Division I semifinal game against North Crowley, he was surprised by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs with the award.

Like Diggs, Russell will be heading to Alabama for his college career. The 5-star prospect has completed nearly 70 percent (220-of-316) of his passes this year with 53 touchdowns and only four interceptions. 
Russell joins an all-star group of former Gatorade National Football Players of the Year who have combined for more than six NFL MVPs awards, 31 Pro Bowl appearances, six NFL first round draft picks and two became Hall of Famers.

“The Gatorade Player of the Year Program has a 40-year history of recognizing young athletes on their journey to greatness,” said Gatorade Chief Brand Officer Anuj Bhasin. “Russell’s accomplishments have earned him a spot on the trophy alongside so many iconic athletes, and we can’t wait to see the legacy he will leave behind.”

“Russell is an elite playmaker for the quarterback position who feathers the line between risk and reward like few others,” said Andrew Ivins, 247Sports Director of Scouting. “He’s extremely accurate at all three levels [of the passing game] and there are few throws that he can’t make. He has had a star-studded supporting cast around him, but he has done more than just drive the bus. Multiple times throughout the season, he rose to the occasion and essentially turned into a superhero.”

Gatorade Players of the Year are not only the best of the best in their respective sports, but they’re also role models and leaders off the field. Russell is a member of Duncanville’s National Honor Society and has volunteered locally with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, distributing turkeys to the Duncanville community as part of a joint effort with the Dallas Cowboys. Russell has also maintained a 3.4 GPA in the classroom.

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.

On Saturday, Duncanville, currently ranked No. 4 in the High School Football America 100 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football, will play No. 16 North Crowley. The winner will advance to the 6A Division I title game at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL's Cowboys.