#23

JJ Russell

Senior linebacker for Memphis. 2021: 123 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

LB · Memphis · Sr. · #23

6′1″ · 225 lb · Grenada, MS

CFB Index 81 · #53 of 578 LBsHigh confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamMemphis 2021 alumnus

Recruiting

3★

OLB recruit

No. 1099 nationally · Signed with Memphis

Statement game18 tackles · 0.5 TFLvs UTSA (FBS) · L 28-31

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 linebacker for Memphis. 2021: 123 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Memphis in 2017.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Memphis, 306 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2021) — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

20176 games

Signed with Memphis3-star out of Grenada

202112 games

The role got bigger.

All-AACfirst

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1099 national

CFB

College

Memphis

2017–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-AAC · 1ST TEAM

All-AAC 1st team (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2017–2021

2 coaches

2017–2019

Mike Norvell

Memphis

2020–2021

Ryan Silverfield

Memphis

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Norvell → Ryan Silverfield. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2017Memphis10-3HC: Mike Norvell · Balanced

2018Memphis8-6HC: Mike Norvell · Run-leaning

2019Memphis12-2HC: Mike Norvell · Run-leaning

2020Memphis8-3HC: Ryan Silverfield · Balanced, fast tempo

2021Memphis6-6HC: Ryan Silverfield · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

81All-Conference level #53 of 578?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (100th percentile). Strength: tackles (100th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Solo tackles#3 / 2743 · 100th pct

Tackles#13 / 2743 · 100th pct

123

QB hurries#46 / 2743 · 98th pct

Tackles for loss#405 / 2743 · 84th pct

6.5

Sacks#829 / 2743 · 61st pct

1.0

Passes defended#1085 / 2743 · 49th pct

Interceptions#320 / 824 · 31st pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	11.1	0.5	0.1	0.1
Road5g	9.0	0.6	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	11.0	0.5	0.0	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	9.2	0.6	0.2	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Charles Huff

Pass share

38.2%

66 pass / 107 run

Plays / game

57.7

3 games

Team sack rate

5.2%

77 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

81 · #53 of 578 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #53 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Memphis	123	78	6.5	1.0	1	1	--
2020	Memphis	58	39	3.5	0.0	3	--	--
2019	Memphis	58	36	5.5	1.0	3	--	--
2018	Memphis	58	39	8.5	3.0	--	--	--
2017	Memphis	9	8	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		306	200	24.0	5.0	7	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2021

W 31–29

vs Mississippi State

1 TFL · 10 SOLO · 14 TOT

Edged out Mississippi State at home in a shootout.

With J. Doyle — 51 LONG · 100 PCT · 7 PTS · C. Austin III — 9 rec · 105 yds · 2 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 42-17vs Nicholls	7	5	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 55-50@ Arkansas State	8	4	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	W 31-29vs Mississippi State	14	10	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	L 28-31vs UTSA	18	11	0.5	0.0	—	0	Season-high 18 tackles
Wk 5	L 31-34@ Temple	14	12	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	L 29-35@ Tulsa	5	2	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	W 35-17vs Navy	11	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	L 7-24@ UCF	9	5	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 28-25vs SMU	6	4	2.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 11	L 29-30vs East Carolina	12	7	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 12	L 13-31@ Houston	9	8	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 13	W 33-28vs Tulane	10	6	0.0	0.0	—	0
Total		123	78	6.5	1.0	1	1

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

JJ Russell

20176 games

202112 games

2021 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Sideline-to-Sideline

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