Anthony Russo (American football)
| No. 15, 9 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | December 6, 1997 Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Temple (2016–2020) Michigan State (2021) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career IFL statistics as of Week 13, 2023 | |||||||||||||
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Anthony Russo (born December 6, 1997) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Temple and Michigan State. He also played for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL.
College career
[edit]Temple
[edit]In 2016, Russo took a redshirt year after not appearing in any games for Temple.[1]
In 2017, Russo made his college football debut as a field goal holder against No. 15 UCF in the season finale.[1]
In 2018, Russo entered the season as the backup but gained the starting position by week two and lead the team to a 7–3 record—only missing the season finale before returning for the bowl game.[1] He threw his first-career touchdown against Maryland. Against Heisman candidate McKenzie Milton and UCF, he threw for a career-high 52 pass attempts, 31 pass completions, 444 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, twelve rush attempts, and 46 rushing yards.[1] The team lost the 2018 Independence Bowl 27–56.
In 2019, Russo started every game for the Owls; leading the team to an 8–5 record.[1]
In 2020, Russo was named to the Golden Arm Award watchlist. He started the first three games of the season before an injury and COVID-19 ended his season early.[1] On December 3, 2020, Russo announced he would transfer from Temple.[2][3]
Michigan State
[edit]In 2021, Russo transferred to Michigan State and competed with, and lost to, Payton Thorne for the starting position.[4][5] He played in two games for the Spartans: Ohio State and Youngstown State.[6] In his debut against Youngstown State he came in relief and completed five of his seven pass attempts for 43 yards.[6]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| Temple Owls | |||||||||||||||
| 2016 | DNP | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 1 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 11 | 7–3 | 198 | 345 | 57.4 | 2,563 | 7.4 | 14 | 14 | 125.1 | 43 | 63 | 1.5 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 13 | 8–5 | 246 | 419 | 58.7 | 2,861 | 6.8 | 21 | 12 | 126.9 | 35 | -64 | -1.8 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 1–2 | 92 | 135 | 68.1 | 868 | 6.4 | 9 | 6 | 135.3 | 22 | 31 | 1.4 | 2 | |
| Michigan State Spartans | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2 | 0–0 | 7 | 9 | 77.8 | 43 | 4.8 | 0 | 0 | 117.9 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | |
| Career | 30 | 16−10 | 543 | 908 | 59.8 | 6,335 | 6.4 | 44 | 32 | 127.4 | 103 | 40 | 0.4 | 7 | |
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
239 lb (108 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.95 s | 1.76 s | 2.79 s | 4.57 s | 7.51 s | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) | ||
| All values from Pro Day[7] | ||||||||||||
San Antonio Brahmas
[edit]On November 16, 2022, Russo was selected by the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL in the 2023 XFL Draft.[8][9][10]
On January 22, 2023, Russo was released by the Brahmas during roster cuts.[11]
Massachusetts Pirates
[edit]On April 1, 2023, Russo signed with the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Following an injury to starter Alejandro Bennifield, Russo took over and lead the team to an undefeated season at home.[12] He announced his retirement after the 2023 season.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Anthony Russo - Football". Temple. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Markol, Drew (November 22, 2022). "Archbishop Wood graduate Anthony Russo set to play professional football in XFL". PhillyBurbs. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Moberg, McLain (April 13, 2021). "Michigan State QB Anthony Russo Details Why he Left Temple". Sports Illustrated Michigan State Spartans News, Analysis and More. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Linsner, Cory (November 16, 2022). "Former MSU football QB Anthony Russo getting pro football opportunity". Spartans Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Michigan State football QB Anthony Russo the latest to capitalize on name, image, likeness". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Anthony Russo - Football". Michigan State University Athletics. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Anthony Russo - QB - Michigan State - 2022 Draft Scout/NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Luca, Greg (November 15, 2022). "San Antonio adds three QBs to kick off XFL draft week". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Spicer, Ben (November 16, 2022). "San Antonio Brahmas select their quarterbacks for XFL reboot". KSAT. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Archbishop Wood graduate Anthony Russo set to play professional football in XFL". PhillyBurbs. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Thorn, Nicholas (January 22, 2023). "XFL Cuts Rosters to 70 Players — Complete Breakdown by Team". XFL Newsroom. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Next Man Up: Anthony Russo". Massachusetts Pirates. May 24, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ ShadySportsNetwork (November 13, 2023). "QB @Anthony_Russo15 has been telling teams he is retired heading into the 2024 season. This would explain why his name hasn't come up on the @IndoorFL transactions. Despite teams having interest in bringing him in, Russo seems to be calling it a career". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved November 13, 2023. [better source needed]