2026 Football Newcomers Roster
Roster
Hammond Russell IV
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Position:
- DL
- Hometown:
- Columbus, Ohio
- High School:
- Dublin Coffman
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 312
2025 Season (Redshirt senior at West Virginia): Made five starts on the defensive line and played in nine total games … finished with 13 tackles including 2.5 TFLs and two sacks … forced one fumble … made a season-high four tackles against Robert Morris (Aug. 30), including 2.5 TFLs … posted three tackles at Ohio (Sept. 6) … tallied two stops against Pitt (Sept. 13) and Utah (Sept. 27)
2024 Season (Redshirt junior at West Virginia): Played in 13 games … added depth on the defensive line … saw action on 325 defensive plays, including a season-high 39 at Cincinnati … finished with 17 tackles, including seven solo stops, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss … recorded two assisted tackles at Texas Tech … assisted two tackles and a TFL against UCF … added three tackles and a sack at Arizona … finished with two tackles against Iowa State … lone tackle at Oklahoma State was a sack … recorded a pair of stops against Kansas … posted his first sack of the season at Pitt
2023 Season (Redshirt sophomore at West Virginia): Academic All-Big 12 Conference Second Team … played in 12 games … added depth on the defensive line … saw action on 111 defensive plays, including a season-high 18 plays against BYU and North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl … finished with 10 tackles, including four solo stops and assisted on a six-yard sack … season-high three tackles at Oklahoma … assisted on two tackles against BYU, including a tackle for loss … had solo tackles at Baylor, at UCF and at Penn State … registered assisted tackles against Pitt and North Carolina
2022 Season (Redshirt freshman): Did not see game action
2021 Season (Freshman): Redshirted, saw action in two games
High School/Personal
- Played defensive line for coach Mark Crabtree at Dublin Coffman High
- Earned 2020 All-Ohio Prep Schools Writers’ Association (OPSWA) Division I All-State First Team
- Named to the 2020 MaxPreps Ohio All-State First Team
- Also earned all-district and all-league honors as a senior
- Tallied 52 tackles, including nine tackles for loss, during his senior campaign
- Also registered 1.5 sacks and two interceptions in 2020, while leading Coffman to an 8-1 mark, OCC-Central Division title and appearance in the regional semifinal
- Earned OPSWA All-Ohio Special Mention as a junior, as well as first-team all-district and second-team all-league distinction
- Made 55 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, six pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 2019
- Led Coffman to a 10-3 record and trip to the regional final as a junior
- Also played basketball
- Rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports
- ESPN rates him as the No. 80 defensive end in the nation and No. 23 prospect in Ohio
- Rated as the No. 32 Ohio prospect by Rivals
- Rated as the No. 51 strong-side defensive end in the country by 247Sports, as well as the No. 33 player in Ohio
- Son of Hammond III and Natasha Russell
- One of six children (3 brothers, 2 sisters)
- Graduated with a bachelor's degree at West Virginia in sport management in May 2025
