Dontavius Russell, an Under Armour All-American in the Class of 2014, made his pledge to the Tigers official on Wednesday, National Signing Day. Russell faxed in his National Letter of Intent, making him a member of Gus Malzahn's program.
Russel, out of Carrollton (Ga.) High School, is rated as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports composite, and listed as the 153rd-best player in the current recruiting cycle. He's ranked No. 12 among all defensive tackles and No. 11 among players from the state of Georgia. He committed to Auburn on Dec. 27, 2013, after de-commiting from Georgia some four weeks earlier. Russell did take a visit to Miss St. in late January but nothing became of the Bulldogs and Russell.
Russell stands 6'3 and weighs in at 300 pounds. He held scholarship offers from schools around the country and chose the Tigers over top programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, FSU, South Carolina, Stanford and USC.
Russell is a big, physical defensive tackle who looks college ready out of high school. He lacks great fundementals but makes up for it with great strength and athleticism to go along with a great motor. Russell may not see much of the field, if any in 2014 with a crowded returning cast in the middle of the line, but he will see it sooner rather than later in his career.