Education
Russell attended Mariner in Everett, Washington, where he was named to the first-team Washington class 4A by the Associated Press as a senior, after gaining 1,293 rushing yards on 177 attempts with 14 TDs. He was selected to play in the United States. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 9th best athlete prospect of his class. He committed to play college football for Notre Dame on December 29, 2011, over offers from California, University of Southern California and hometown Washington.
Career
He played college football at Notre Dame. In summer camp of his freshman, following an season ending injury to incumbent starter Lo Wood, Russell was moved from running back to cornerback. He worked himself into a starting role for week 1 of the season versus
Navy, in Dublin, Ireland.
Russell started all 13 games as a true freshman, including the 2013 British Computer Society National Championship Game versus Alabama. He recorded 58 tackles, including two for loss, and two interceptions, and was named a Freshman All-American by the FWAA. As a sophomore, Russell started all 13 games in 2013, registering 51 tackles, one interception and eight pass break-ups.
Academic Suspension On October 10, 2014, following the conclusion of the school"s investigation, Russell was suspended for the fall and spring semesters from the school, and would not play for the Irish in the 2014-2015 season. Return to Notre Dame After being suspended for 7 months by the University, Russell announced on May 29, 2015, that he was back and had been re-admitted to the University for the upcoming semester.
He returned to the field, starting 11 games, before missing the remaining two games with a fractured tibia.
He finished his season with 60 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections. On January 4, 2016, Russell announced he would forego his remaining eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
Membership
On August 14, 2014, the University of Notre Dame announced that they were investigating suspected academic dishonesty on the part of several students, including members of the football team, Russell along with DaVaris Daniels, Kendall Moore and Ishaq Williams were those named in the investigation, with another player, Eilar Hardy, named a few weeks later.
