The Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1, 1-0 SEC) boast a running back room that houses the current SEC leader in rushing yards, Ja'Quinden Jackson, through the first five weeks of the season, but true freshman Braylen Russell is carving a spot out for himself in the rotation as well.
The Benton native has only been on campus for a little over nine months now, but has made his presence felt on the field. He's rushed for just 47 yards on 13 carries on the season so far, but head coach Sam Pittman said Monday that Russell's talent warrants more usage moving forward.
"Anytime a guy that you haven't played a lot goes in and has early success, you play him a little bit more," Pittman told reporters. "I imagine his load per game will amp up a little bit more, but we just saw that he was practicing extremely well. We always have believed in him."
Pittman opted to insert Russell into Saturday's win over the Auburn Tigers (2-2,0-1 SEC) late in the game on what ended up being the Razorbacks' game-sealing drive, a 12-play, 75-yard grinder that burned six minutes and 12 seconds of game time.
Russell carried the ball three times on that drive. One was a 14-yard run in which he got to the second level and plowed through the Auburn safety to move the chains.
"The one he cut one up the middle, I don't know what it was, 12-, 15-yard run in there, and he looked really good," Pittman said. "Anytime a guy that you haven't played a lot goes in and has early success, you play him a little bit more."
That wasn't the first time Russell has seen action, though. He has two touchdowns on the season, one that he scored in the season-opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and the other against Alabama-Birmingham on Sept. 14. The Arkansas coaching staff has raved about Russell's potential even going back to when he signed his National Letter of Intent in Dec. 2023 as a four-star recruit.
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"Bobby (Petrino) and I were sitting there watching his tape, and we think he can play right now," Pittman said after national signing day. "He's got the size, the physicality. He loves the state of Arkansas, the university, great parents. But I'll tell you, he's got the size and the physicality."
Russell's time on the field is key for a few reasons. First and foremost, at 6-foot-1, 254 pounds, he's a big and strong running back who is able to move the pile and get extra yards. He's also deceptively fast, though he hasn't had a chance to really put that on display yet this season.
Having him in the running back room also allows Jackson, as well as backup Rodney Hill, to get a breather so they can stay fresh for the fourth quarter.
"We always have believed in him, it's just a little scary to put a young one in there early," Pittman said. "We finally said, ‘Hey, we've got to because we got to be fresh in the fourth quarter, and he'll help us.’ And so that's what we did."
It's obvious that it worked, as Jackson was able to eat up yards and burn enough clock on that final touchdown drive to seal the win for the Razorbacks on Saturday. But moving forward, Russell could see his role on the team expand even further.
Up next, the Razorbacks will face No. 24 Texas A&M on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and it'll be televised on ESPN.
