4-star RB Braylen Russell commits to Arkansas Razorbacks

Benton (Ark.) four-star running back Braylen Russell has announced his commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks. He chose the Razorbacks over Tennessee and South Carolina.

“Their message is that the state school would take care of me very good,” Russell said. “I could be a big priority to their team and come play.”

Russell is the No. 315 overall prospect and No. 27 running back in the 2024 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 4 player in Arkansas.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Russell initially decommitted from Arkansas back in October and has since taken visits to Columbia and Knoxville. 

“The family feeling, someone I can just come to about my problems,” Russell said about what is important to him in a school. “You always want that person you can talk to because that’s really big to have. I’m really looking for somebody I can connect with. If I can connect with the staff, that means God’s leading me there.”

Russell currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $39K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Russell joins top-20 recruiting class

Russell joins an Arkansas class that ranks in the top 20 nationally after finishing with the No. 26 group in the 2023 cycle. The Razorbacks’ lone July commitment until now came from Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point top-150 wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman on the Fourth of July. Russell is the first and currently only running back committed to Arkansas and the seventh blue-chip prospect to pledge to the Razorbacks.