5-star teammates James Smith, Qua Russaw set Florida official visit
Montgomery (Ala.) Carver teammates James Smith and Qua Russaw do almost everything together. The duo trains at the same facility, plays at the same high school, and takes all of their college visits together.
They also plan to play together at the next level, wherever that may be. The duo is coming off an unofficial visit to Auburn and has already taken official visits to the Plains and to Georgia. Next up on the list is Florida, which will host the five-star prospects on October 15, they told On3’s Sam Spiegelman.
The trip will be their second known visit to Gainesville after taking an unofficial visit at the end of July. The Gators are one of three schools, along with Alabama and Auburn, that are heavily pushing to land both Russaw and Smith.
“Florida is coming hard, too,” Russaw told Spiegelman over the weekend. “He (Napier) is bringing Florida back. He’s trying to change the program and that really stands out to me. He’s working hard and they’re continuing to play well.”
The Crimson Tide are considered the current favorites to land both, with Alabama trending heavily in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for Russaw after a recent expert pick by On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons. The RPM shows a slightly closer race for Smith, with Alabama leading at 40.2 percent.
Qua Russaw and James Smith Recruiting Profiles
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Russaw is the No. 19 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 2 EDGE and the No. 2 player in Alabama.
Smith, meanwhile, checks in as the country’s No. 12 overall prospect, No. 2 defensive lineman and the top player in the Yellowhammer State.
On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power writes this about them as recruits:
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.”