Bridgeton’s Jeremiah Russell commits to Salem Community College football class

Jeremiah Russell’s move from Bridgeton High School to Salem Community College gave the Mighty Oaks a Bridgeton name at the center of their first NJCAA football recruiting class. For a program being built from the ground up in Carneys Point, the commitment added a local face to a launch that is drawing attention across South Jersey.

Russell is a Bridgeton High senior in the Class of 2026 and is listed by MaxPreps at 6-foot-0 and 126 pounds. The recruiting profile also lists him as a versatile football player who has lined up at wide receiver, free safety and cornerback, a combination that fits the needs of a new college program still assembling its roster. Salem announced its first NJCAA football season on April 2, 2026, moving toward a fall 2026 debut.

The school’s football project moved quickly through 2025 and early 2026. Salem Community College’s board of trustees approved the football launch on Nov. 21, 2025. Jay Accorsi was then hired as the school’s first head football coach on Feb. 3, 2026, giving the Mighty Oaks a leader before the program’s first season was formally announced. Russell’s commitment now folds Bridgeton into that early build.

Russell’s name has shown up in local football coverage before. Bridgeton football noted him in a 2023 game recap when he caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Dante Howell against Atlantic City. Hudl also shows new highlight activity from his senior season in November 2025, including games against Cherry Hill East and Egg Harbor Township, which points to the kind of South Jersey schedule that has helped shape his final high school year.

For Cumberland County, the commitment matters because it keeps a player from Bridgeton close to home while adding depth to a first-year college program still establishing its identity. Salem’s launch gives South Jersey athletes a nearby junior-college path, and Russell’s decision signals that the pipeline from Bridgeton High to college football now includes a school just across the county line.