Notre Dame cornerback KeiVarae Russell told Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel Monday that he'll forgo the possibility of playing a fifth year in South Bend to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
Russell fractured his leg Nov. 21 against Boston College and was given a six-to-eight week recovery timetable to return to football activities. He told SI he won't participate in workout portions of the NFL Combine next month in Indianapolis even though he'll be healed from the injury.
"I will be healed in the next few days, but I want to be able to perform at my best with the same amount of training (others will have),” Russell told Thamel. “I want to get back to where I was and I feel like when I come back, I’m going to come back stronger.”
The Everett, Wash. picked off two passes, forced two fumbles and totaled 60 tackles in 2015. Russell started all 13 games as a true freshman cornerback -- without any prior experience at the position -- during Notre Dame's 2012 run to the BCS Championship.
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Russell was one of five players suspended in August of 2014 as part of a university investigation into academic dishonesty. He took classes through the University of Washington during his two-semester exile and was adamant he'd return to Notre Dame for the 2015 season as soon as his ban was confirmed in October 2014.
Because he lost a year of eligibility to an academic suspension, though, Russell would've had to have an appeal granted by the NCAA to play a fifth year (even though he met all of Notre Dame's requirements for re-admission). Russell, though, was going to declare for the NFL Draft regardless of whether or not his appeal was successful.
Russell told SI he's plans on earning his degree in management consulting, which he's one semester away from earning.