LOOK: 5-star teammates, EDGE Qua Russaw and DL James Smith, wearing Alabama gloves
Montgomery (Ala.) Carver’s roster includes two of the top uncommitted prospects in the 2023 cycle. They are five-star EDGE Qua Russaw and five-star defensive lineman James Smith.
On Friday night, both recruits were wearing Alabama gloves prior to their game against Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic. Russaw and Smith, who both took an unofficial visit to the Crimson Tide on Sept. 24, have interest in playing with each other at the college level.
Smith is the No. 12 overall prospect and No. 2 defensive lineman in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 1 player in Alabama.
On3 rates Smith higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2023 On300, he is the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 1 defensive lineman.
Meanwhile, Russaw is the No. 19 overall prospect and No. 2 EDGE in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus. He is also the No. 2 player in Alabama.
For more Alabama recruiting intel, check out BamaInsider.
According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Crimson Tide have a commanding lead for Russaw’s commitment at 74.6%. The RPM also has Alabama in front for Smith’s pledge at 41.1%.
RPM was released to the public in December. The On3 engineering group teamed up with Spiny.ai to create the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college.
It factors in machine learning, social sentiment, visits and historical trends. However, expert predictions are still a big piece of the RPM equation.
Qua Russaw and James Smith On3 Scouting Summary
The following are the On3 Scouting Summaries for Qua Russaw and James Smith:
Russaw: “Rugged, athletic EDGE defender who plays with high-level play strength and speed in pursuit. Has adequate size at around 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. Highly active as a high school player on a snap to snap basis. Plays with one of the best effort levels that we’ve seen from a defender in the 2023 cycle. Excels as a pursuit defender, using his speed and motor to track down plays sideline to sideline.
“Very strong with the ability to stack and shed offensive linemen. Also sees some snaps as an off-ball linebacker. Highly productive as a junior with 27.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. Wins primarily due to his athleticism, play strength and effort level. Will need to continue honing his pass rush moves.”
Smith: “Possesses the best combination of first-step quickness and power among interior defensive line prospects in the 2023 cycle. Extremely quick off the ball, often beating opposing offensive linemen out of their stance. Follows up his first step with considerable upper body and hand strength. Stuns offensive linemen with his punch and gets off of blocks at a high rate. Has a wide-hipped frame without much bad weight.
“Plays with high energy and violent physicality. A dominant player as a freshman and sophomore prior to transferring to IMG Academy. Finishes plays behind the line of scrimmage with authority. Is able to yank down ball carriers with one hand. Also shows advanced pass rush ability for an interior defensive lineman.”