Texas A&M Football
Aggie Flashback with former OLB/DE Caleb Russell
Key quotes from Caleb Russell interview
"When Coach Sumlin came in, they caught our eye right off the bat. They wanted us to feel at home. Seeing it from the outside now, I’m thinking that locker room is starting to click again. Things are starting to roll and guys are coming in and working hard."
"I got to the see the picture from the stands point of view when we would come to the games and I was amazed at how many people would come see a football game. I was pretty much all in after that."
"I committed to SMU before June Jones came, but once Phil Bennett left I just didn’t feel it. Air force, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico all offered. There was a little handful of smaller schools but Air Force was the one that we went up there for. We were in the hotel room after the visit and they said they wanted me to play for them.
In the hotel room I remember just sitting there praying on it. Laying there at Air Force, I was like, 'yeah, I have a full ride here, but the way A&M has such a family lifestyle and how they just click together, I feel at home there. I’m going to walk on and take that challenge.' A lot of people said I couldn’t do it and I knew was going to make a difference."
"I had a pretty good spring but coming into two-a-days my first year, I got the call that I was going to be one of the guys not joining them for two-a-days. I was devastated; I was putting more time in the weight room, more time on film, trying to get my stuff right. But if you don’t perform, that happens. Looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was able to grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. This is not what life is about; I had pretty much made football my god, my idol. I was pursuing that 110% and had kind of lost focus on what else is important in life. I’m so glad that happened, it allowed me to take a step back and see the big picture of life."
"At that point, I was running back and tight end. We had Cyrus Gray and C-Mike coming in, and I was a big old white guy that wasn’t as fast. I went to Coach Sherman and asked to try linebacker, and he said why not. That was where I felt good. It’s really free reign, you just do what your told and adjust."
"I was intense all the time, it actually got to the point where the coaches had to say, 'You’re going too hard, Stop going too hard all the time.' I told them I would try."
In 2010, we were on the road in Waco and I had just been told that I was going to be starting at outside linebacker in our 2nd and 3rd down package. A few hours before the game my dad called, and he said, 'Your grandmother has been hit by a car.' She was coming onto the highway and a car just t-boned her right in the side. My Dad just said to pray about it. I got another call that said she had passed away. I go out in the hallway and I’m kind of losing my mind.
"I’m in the hallway and I see Sherman and he sat down beside me and said 'if you need to get home right now, I’ll get you home.' I had just talked to my grandfather and he said, 'You play for her. She would have wanted you to play.' Before the game, everyone at dinner stood up and came over and put their hands on me and said told me they had my back. We get on the field, it's halftime, and I don’t expect my family to be there. I look up in the third quarter and my entire family was there, my grandfather, everybody. It blew my mind how they could be there."
"I came off the edge and Robert Griffin III took off to the right and I was coming from the right. He started to sprint out and I remember after the coaches saying that I was running and Sean Porter was about to get the sack, but I kind of dove and pushed him out of the way and grabbed RGIII and brought him down. I don’t know where that came from but I was getting that guy."
"We were at practice and Coach Sherman says, 'At the end of this meeting I need to see Caleb Russell in my office.' The whole meeting I’m trying to soak it up because I had no idea what this was going to be about. I sit down and Coach Sherman comes in with the very educator look like he was about to teach me something. He looked at me and said, 'You’ve been doing pretty well Russell. Been doing pretty well, and we’re going to give you a scholarship.' I just kind of stared at him. Eventually I stood up and shook his hand and grabbed him and gave him a big hug and told him I wouldn’t let him down."
"The future under Coach Sumlin is going to be so bright. If they can keep their heads down, and stay focused, stay clicking. It’s going to be amazing."
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