Finishing his college career as the all-time sack leader at Georgia Southern wasn't enough for Brent Russell. He needed hardware to go with it. Russell was given the 2012 Elite Defensive Tackle Award by the College Football Performance Awards, the most scientific and rigorous of college football awards. The CFPA are awarded weekly, monthly and annually to the best performers in college football.

Russell, a native of Comer, GA, finished his Eagles career with 25 sacks. In 2012, the senior notched 44 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. His efforts also showed up on the scoreboard, as the Georgia Southern made three straight FCS semifinals in his tenure. The Eagles lost, 23-20, to North Dakota State in this year's FCS playoffs, despite Russell recording his record-setting 25th quarterback sack.

The NFL prospect was a consensus first-team All-Southern Conference selection and was named an FCS All-American by The Sports Network.