Arkansas' 4-Star, 230-Pound Running Back Commit Casually Squats 2.5 Times His Weight As High School Senior
Arkansas commit Braylen Russell might already be the strongest running back in college football and he has yet to begin his senior year of high school. He put up more than two and a half times his weight on the squat rack on the first day of the new season. Casual.
Russell, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2024, is one of the top-25 players at his position and the No. 4-ranked player in the Natural State. He stands 6-foot-1, 230 pounds and hails from Benton, Ark.
Although Russell had 17 offers from schools like Baylor, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Cincinnati, Arizona and Ole Miss, he chose to stay home and play for the Razorbacks. His impact on Sam Pittman's program will be felt right away.
He's a big, strong dude. One of those guys whose presence you feel when he walks into a room.
Putting his frame aside, Russell will run through and past opposing defenses. His downhill burst is a nightmare for linebackers trying to meet him in the hole, and his home run speed will leave defensive backs in the dust.
Russell's ability to get downfield in a hurry and punish defenders stems from his lower body strength.
Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown — who is considered one of the strongest players in the country — put up 585 on the squat rack earlier this year and everybody went nuts. Largely because of his ranking.
Russell made that number look minuscule and slapped an extra 15 pounds onto the bar to make it a cool 600. That is approximately 2.6 Braylen Russells that he threw onto his back and dominated.
To put that number even more in perspective, Nick Chubb often squats 600 pounds or more as a 27-year-old who has been in the NFL for six years. Russell is on Day 2 of training camp for his final year of high school. Goodness gracious!