JJ Russell: LB · Memphis · #23.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
JJ Russell
Ranges from hash to hash and finishes the tackle. The five seasons at Memphis span two head coaches: Mike Norvell and Ryan Silverfield. The first one came in 2021: All-AAC. On tape: 18 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against UTSA, Week 4, 2021.
Play style
Ranges from hash to hash and makes his own tackles.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
123 tackles. 1 pass defended. 1 interception. 6.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 12 games
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| 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 No. 23 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@ No. 17 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 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
123tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%6 TFLSack rate
1%1 sackPD rate
1%1 pass breakups123 tackles · 6.5 for loss · 1 sack · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2021 season · 12 games
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
Head Coach
Ryan Silverfield
Pass share
52.4%
443 pass / 402 run
Plays / game
70.4
12 games
Team sack rate
6.1%
474 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2021
First team in his league at the position.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #53 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons at Memphis, 306 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2021) — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 56 games over five seasons.
The role got bigger.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AAC · 1ST TEAM
All-AAC 1st team (2021)
Coaching lineage · 2017–2021
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Mike Norvell → Ryan Silverfield. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
