Liam Russo brings NFL-ish size and a multi-sport edge to NIU's tight end room
Liam Russo enters Northern Illinois in the 2026 season as a 6-foot-5, 226-pound redshirt freshman tight end, with recruiting buzz around his three-star profile and all-around athletic background from De Smet Jesuit in St. Louis.[2][3][4] His calling card is easy to see: length, frame growth potential, and the kind of movement skills that come from being a three-sport standout, which gives him upside as a receiving tight end and development piece rather than a finished product.[4][6] He has no available college stats yet, so the real question is fit and ceiling—and on that front, he looks like a classic MAC sleeper with intriguing tools, but still needs game reps to turn promise into production.[1][7]
