Sept. 21, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- All Dontavius Russell wants to do is help people.
You see it every Saturday on the football field when the 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive lineman takes on double teams and helps his teammates make plays behind him. You see it in the classroom where Russell is majoring in health services and administration, an area where he feels he can make a difference when he's done with football.
Helping others is something that's always come natural to him.
"My mom was a nurse," Russell said. "I was at the hospital all the time growing up because that's where I caught the bus from. I was always there at the hospital until my dad got off work, so I've just always been around the environment of people helping others."
Like a nurse, sometimes Russell's work goes unappreciated. He doesn't stick out in the stat sheet like some of his teammates -- through Auburn's first three games, he's only been credited with five tackles, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry -- but all you had to do was watch the Clemson game, and you saw No. 95 in the backfield time and time again.
Russell isn't worried about the stats, though. He knows he's playing well. He knows he's doing his part to help the defense. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
"I'm the starting defensive tackle, and I do my job," he said. "That's what I do. It's not 'I make plays all over the field' and it's not necessarily a stat thing. I just contribute to the defense. That's my main goal every time I go out there and play."
However, his work doesn't go unappreciated by everybody.
Sure, the plays he makes might not show up in the box score every time. But when one of the Auburn linebackers makes a tackle or comes free through one of the gaps or intercepts a pass, there's a good chance it happened as a result of something Russell did.
"Dontavius is really a special player," Auburn linebacker Tre' Williams said. "I don't think he gets the recognition that he should because he helps the defense out a lot, as far as pass-rushing, plugging holes, making plays. A lot of the plays that are being made are because of him, but a lot of people don't see that. We, as his brothers and his teammates, we see that, and we recognize him a lot for it."
Fellow linebacker Deshaun Davis sends Russell a text message after every game showing him different plays where he was free and made a tackle because of a play Russell made in front of him. It's a way for Davis to show his gratitude.
"Dontavius is a hero," Davis said. "He's really probably one of our best interior guys, if not the best interior guy, and he doesn't get the attention he deserves. But he's greatly appreciated."
Russell is likely never going to rack up a bunch of tackles or sacks. It's even more unlikely that he comes down an interception this season. But he is a major reason why this Auburn defense ranks No. 2 nationally in total defense, allowing only 201.7 yards per game.
His goal for the rest of this season and his time at Auburn?
"I hate to give you a boring answer, but it's just to contribute," Russell said. "That's what I've been doing. Not a lot of people can say they were on the defense that turned [Auburn] around and changed the perspective of what people think of us. I play a big role in that, and I'm just glad to be a part of this defense and doing what I'm doing."
Greg Ostendorf is a Staff Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter:
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