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Tyson Russell
Hometown: Plantation, Florida
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 175
Position: Defensive back
Rivals: Three-star recruit
247 Sports: Three-star recruit, #115 cornerback, #176 in Florida, #1353 national
Other offers: Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse
Vanderbilt has had a pipeline to South Florida prep powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas over the last few years and that continued in the 2021 class; defensive back Tyson Russell is one of three signees from the school.
The Commodores’ defensive backfield took a hit in the offseason thanks to various defections: Frank Coppet, DC Williams, Randall Haynie, Tae Daley, and Elijah Hamilton have all left the program for one reason or another, and that means that at the very least, there’s going to be early playing time to be had for the five defensive backs in the class. Russell is one of two who’s enrolled at Vanderbilt in time for spring ball (the other is local product John Howse IV) and that should give him a leg up on the competition, though Vanderbilt does return Allan George and Jaylen Mahoney at the position.