Can Daylen Russell take a step and contribute this season?
With the current state of the DT room Daylen Russell becomes an extremely important depth piece for this upcoming season. We all know to go deep in the playoffs having quality depth at DT is vital, Miami currently has only 6 potentially playable DT’s on the roster with Russell being #6. He is currently listed at 6-3 and I am assuming he is around 290- 300 by now after reporting at 275 in the spring of 2024.
History
*Ranked No. 26 defensive tackle in nation by Rivals…
*Finished 2022 with 84 tackles, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles
*Earned Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade 4M-3M Defensive Player of the Year honors
From SI article
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Frame
Based on seeing him play vs Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit last night, it was immediately obvious that Russell had changed his frame since last year. According to multiple members of the Columbus staff, Russell was roughly 245 pounds during the 2022 season. He’s now 275, per Russell’s own admission last night.
The added weight looked good on him, too. Some players just cannot hold over 250 pounds and play at a high level. Russell did just fine. He’s been benching around 350 and squatted over 500 pounds. Thus, Russell put in the work to add that mass.
Earned Respect
From communicating with numerous people around the Columbus program, Russell has been and continues to be a favorite for coaches and teammates. He’s earned respect for his personality and play. That’s a great sign for this young man’s future on and off the gridiron.
“He’s a great kid” was one unsolicited comment about Russell, just as an example.
Athleticism
While 275 pounds, Russell showed he could move sideline-to-sideline. There was a play where he was at left outside linebacker. The opposing quarterback rolled away from Russell and was headed for the sideline but Russell cut him off from the backside. That was a tremendous effort, first off.”
D. Lewis has his work cut out for him with this one. I pray it all works out.
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miamihurricanes.com
