Football's Chapelle Russell on Family Ties to Upcoming Opponent

PHILADELPHIA- Fresh off of a commanding 49-6 victory against East Carolina last week, Temple Football is rolling - largely in part due to the impressive play of the Owls' defense.

Head coach Geoff Collins and defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker have assembled a group that is fierce up front, littered with playmakers in the secondary, and deep across the board, and their growth through the first half of the season has been striking.

Helping lead the charge on defense is redshirt junior Chapelle Russell - a 6-foot-1, 215 pound single-digit linebacker who consistently sets the tone for the Owls' front seven - and the Lakewood, N.J. native has family ties with the Owls' upcoming opponent, the Navy Midshipmen.

Russell's mother, Nikita Smith, served in the Navy.

"My mom being in the service showed me just how hard you have to work and what you have to go through to be successful," Russell explained. "Her work ethic always allowed her to excel."

The influence Russell's mother had on him and his work ethic is evident.

Not only has said work ethic allowed him to return from two season-ending knee injuries, but it has also propelled him to being awarded single-digit jersey - an honor that the program awards to its nine toughest players.

"She showed me what it takes," he said. "The service required a lot of her attention during the day and during night shifts, and that showed me how hard I was going to have to work so that she won't have to anymore."

Since entering the program as a part of the 2015 recruiting class, the coaches at Temple have been impressed with the mentality and leadership that Russell has brought to the table, and those traits are translating to on-field production as his junior campaign progresses.

Six games in, Russell has tallied 35 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack, and has also made major contributions on special teams.

"He [Russell] always provides leadership, whether on or off the field," said outside linebackers coach Larry Knight in camp this past August. "We are definitely excited about him and what he can contribute."

Russell's ability to move around the defense and seamlessly fill different roles with different responsibilities has provided this defense with a unique flexibility. Whether it be lining up in the box and disrupting the backfield on running downs, or sitting in coverage on the contrary, he possesses the quickness and physicality to do both and is determined to make an impact any way he can.

"A good saying I've always heard is that the more you can do, the more you do. So the more versatile you are, the more valuable you are to the team," said Russell. "Versatility just puts the team in a better position. They want the best eleven on the field, and if you're able to play more than one position, why not go out there and do it, because it just allows you to be more successful in the long run."

Temple's matchup against Navy bears significance for the Owls as they look to remain atop the American Conference standings at 2-0 in conference play, tied with #10 Central Florida and #25 Cincinnati. However, Russell isn't worried about all that. All he is concerned with is beating Navy.

"We're not worried about last week and we're not worried about the week after. We're worried about this week," said Russell. "We know they have a great team and do a lot of things well, and we're just going to keep working hard in practice and put ourselves in the best position to come out of this week 1-0."

Temple University Athletics

Football's Chapelle Russell on Family Ties to Upcoming Opponent

Players Mentioned

Chapelle Russell

Related Videos