Arkansas Football's Most Important Players for 2026: No. 1, Braylen Russell

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas has one player capable of changing the trajectory of its 2026 season, and it's junior running back Braylen Russell.

The former 4-star prospect out of Benton heads into his junior year after showing flashes of what he can do as an underclassman. However, various injuries have limited him from reaching his potential by missing six games over the past two seasons.

With an offseason fully healthy and a massive body transformation, Russell appears to be dialed in under a new coaching staff. He wants to be the workhorse of Arkansas' offense this fall.

Arkansas Razorbacks TJ Hodges and Braylen Russell during spring practice drill. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

Accepting the Challenge

Running backs coach David "YAC" Johnson got his attention early on, challenging the Natural State native to regain focus and prioritize himself in order to reach his goals as a contributor in the backfield.

Johnson, who spent the previous six years with Florida State, has a track record of developing strong rushing attacks with 19 former players being selected to 28 all-conference teams in his career.

Russell accepted Johnson's challenge to prioritize his health and was quick to meet his goals ahead of spring practice.

"I challenged Braylen Russell," Silverfield said. "I want to see you maximize what you're doing every single day on the practice field. I have to give credit where credit is due, Braylen Russell's lost some weight. He is a healthier 230-pound running back right now."

Numbers on the scale don't tell the whole story either. Russell underwent a complete physical transformation during the offseason, shedding the extra weight and looking like the SEC running back many expected him to become out of high school.

"It's not just the weight. I think he's changing his body," Johnson continued. "He made a conscious effort to do that. He's been working extremely hard on that. There hasn't been a problem since I've been here."

Coaches don't always listen to what they're told about certain players when they take a job, and coach Ryan Silverfield did the same upon his arrival to Arkansas in November. He watched film and spoke with every single player on the roster last season before determining whether someone would return or be encouraged to enter the portal.

The same was likely done in the case of Russell, who hasn't received the amount of playing time expected after averaging five yards per carry a season ago. What Silverfield did imply was the Benton product has lacked effort throughout his first couple of years with the program.

The Hogs' new staff sent the message early on that those days are over, and the expectation is to give 110% all the time and Russell is one of them who answered that call this spring.

“Braylen Russell, I’ve talked about, he has trimmed down and is playing hard,” Silverfield said. “His effort has been tremendous. You have heard us talk about ‘our standard’, Braylen Russell is on there for his effort almost every day. I told him that this is the knock on you coming in. Let me see what you are capable of, how hard you practice. He has been great.”

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Braylen Russell (0) takes a handoff from quarterback AJ Hill (2) during the spring game at Razorback Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What Makes Russell No. 1?

Russell has the opportunity to play a massive role in Arkansas' rushing attack this fall as the program breaks in a first-time starting quarterback, who will need someone to rely on in pass protection and pick up the physical yards.

Linebacker Ja'Quavion Smith mentioned during the spring that just because Russell has changed his body doesn't mean he is any less physical than what he has been previously.

“Last year y’all say he was heavy, and he’s cut down weight,” Smith said in April. “He looks good. He’s still running with power. He’s done got faster, as I could see. We’ve met in the hole. It’s been good every time, for real, good [competition] is all I can say.”

Year	Rushing Yards Per Game	Overall W/L Record
2020	145.18 ypg (No. 80 NATL)	8-3
2021	137.08 ypg (No. 91 NATL)	6-6
2022	142.48 ypg (No. 75 NATL)	7-6
2023	152.00 ypg (No. 76 NATL)	10-3
2024	174.08 ypg (No. 46 NATL)	11-2
2025	183.23 ypg (No. 31 NATL)	8-5

As Memphis' run game improved during Silverfield's final three seasons, the Tigers posted a 21-5 record. That balance helped keep defenses honest, allowed the offense to stay ahead of the chains and avoid becoming one dimensional.

There is a whole lot of unknowns about the quarterback position going into training camp and Silverfield insists that the battle remains close. Having a strong rushing attack similar to the one the Tigers had in place last year is critical to the overall health of Cramsey's unit.

With Russell taking things much more seriously and challenging himself to be a big part of the offense, having him out there in down-and-distance situations, redzone packages and such to move the chains and score will be critical to this team overachieving compared to preseason expectations.

One area Arkansas has struggled in for over a decade is closing out games with a lead in the fourth quarter. The Razorbacks have played a total of 66 one possession games since 2012 and have a 17-49 record to show for it.

Arkansas has repeatedly struggled to finish close games because it couldn't consistently execute in tight games. A dependable power back, like Russell, who protects the football gives the Razorbacks a chance to change that trend (14 fumbles, eight lost in 2025).

Russell has done well throughout his college career holding onto the ball with just one fumble (at Tennessee, 2025) on 122 carries.

If Arkansas is going to finish higher than dead last in the SEC in Silverfield's first season, it will likely begin with a healthy, motivated Russell. Should the Benton native put together a full year of production that resembles the type of player he was during high school, the Razorbacks could have one of the most physical rushing attacks in the SEC.

He has the ability to carry an SEC workload and will need to take pressure off one of the youngest quarterback rooms in the country this fall. That's what makes Russell the most important Razorback entering the 2026 season.

Razorbacks' Most Important Players in 2026

No. 1 Braylen Russell
No. 2 Quincy Rhodes
No. 3 Bradley Shaw
No. 4 Chris Marshall

No. 5 Jahiem "Joker" Johnson
No. 6 Bryant Williams
No. 7 Kobe Branham
No. 8 Hunter Osborne
No. 9 Caden Kitler
No. 10 Jaden Platt
No. 11 CJ Brown
No. 12 Sutton Smith
No. 13 Khmori House
No. 14 KJ Jackson
No. 15 AJ Hill
No. 16 Steven Soles
No. 17 Jamari Hawkins
No. 18 Ismael Cisse
No. 19 La'Khi Roland
No. 20: David Oke
No. 21: Christian Harrison
No. 22: Jamonta Waller
No. 23: Charlie Collins
No. 24: Miguel Mitchell
No. 25: Caleb Bell
No. 26: Donovan Faupel
No. 27: Reginald Vaughn
No. 28: Maddox Lassiter
No. 29: Ja'Quavion Smith
No. 30: Danny Beale

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