West Virginia DL Hammond Russell IV Inks Deal with Big Ten School in Portal

The veteran defensive lineman is heading to Madison for his final year of eligibility.

West Virginia University defensive lineman Hammond Russell IV | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

Another piece of West Virginia's defensive line is officially out the door as senior Hammond Russell IV has signed with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Russell is one of the very few in this day and age to stick around at the same school for four years, including through a coaching change. While it's reasonable to be upset at other players for leaving, Russell stuck around and remained loyal to the program until it was time to part ways.

Toward the end of the season, it became apparent that a transfer would be taking place this offseason after seeing his role reduced significantly. Russell went from starting to seeing five or fewer snaps in each of his last three appearances, which came against Houston, Colorado, and Texas Tech.

During his four seasons in Morgantown, Russell collected 40 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Thus far, Will LeBlanc (Texas Permian Basin) is the only true defensive lineman the Mountaineers have landed out of the portal. They are continuing to sift through options and will likely add one or two pieces in the next week or so.

Tracking where former West Virginia Mountaineers are transferring to

RB Cyncir Bowers ----> UConn

RB Jahiem White ----> North Texas

WR Rodney Gallagher III ----> Arizona

WR Cam Vaughn ----> Miami

OL Xavier Bausley ----> Marshall

OL Robby Martin ----> Marshall

DL Asani Redwood ----> South Florida

DL Hammond Russell IV ----> Wisconsin

EDGE MarShon Oxley ----> South Florida

LB Ben Bogle ----> Arkansas

S Israel Boyce ----> South Florida

S Jason Cross Jr. ----> North Texas

S Zae Jennings ----> Buffalo

S Chris Fileppo ----> Penn State

To keep track of all the movement, be sure to visit the West Virginia Football Transfer Tracker. There, we will have a full list of players who are leaving WVU for the portal, which players have been offered by WVU, who have scheduled a visit, and a mini breakdown for those who end up choosing the Mountaineers.

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