Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-14vs Rhode Island | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 9-27vs Penn State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#52
Russell Sykes IV
Junior defensive lineman on Temple's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 260 lb · Rolesville, NC · Rolesville
Returning to Temple for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
1 TFL · 3 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 1 tackles, vs Rhode Island
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive lineman on Temple's 2026 roster.
- Signed with Temple in 2024.
Russell Sykes IV
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Three seasons at Temple, two different head coaches: Everett Withers and K.C. Keeler. The receipt on tape: 2 tackles against Penn State, Week 2, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Templeout of Rolesville
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Temple
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Temple
2025–2026era →
K.C. Keeler
Temple
Coaching transition mid-career: Everett Withers → K.C. Keeler. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Temple3-9HC: Everett Withers · Balanced
2025Temple5-7HC: K.C. Keeler · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Temple1-1HC: K.C. Keeler · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 2 games: 1.5 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
K.C. Keeler
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 38–14
vs Rhode Island
1 TOT · 1 SOLO · 1 TFL
Dominant 24-point win at home against Rhode Island.
With K. Mason — 158 rush yds (20 car) · 2 TD · J. Bermudez — 15 rush yds (1 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Temple
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Temple
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -3 net (23 in / 26 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Temple · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #80 · 2026 recruiting class #68
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Brenton Williams’s 2024 season.
92%match
Matches Brenton on
Hurry rate
Height
Weight
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Dominic Nichols's sophomore season at Michigan (2025).
71%match
Matches Dominic on
Weight
TFL rate
Differs from Dominic on
Class year (lower)
Height (lower)
Hurry rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Russell Sykes IV
Background
2026 (Redshirt Sophomore, Temple): Will compete at the defensive tackle position for the 2026 season. 2025 (Redshirt Freshman, Temple): Added depth at defensive tackle ... recorded a career-high 3 tackles and first career sack at Charlotte ... recovered first career fumble at Tulsa ... lettered....
The defensive line · Temple
- #52Russell Sykes IV3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #98Joseph Auzenne1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #99Cameron Jones0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #90Yamael Wiggins0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Quante Gillians0 tackles for loss · 2025
13 more on the roster · Temple team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology