Two 5-stars schedule official visits to Auburn

Two of the top targets on the Auburn recruiting board have locked in official visits with Auburn. Both will be on campus June 24.

The players are:

-Five-star defensive tackle James Smith of Montgomery (Ala.) Carver. He’s the No. 1 prospect in the state of Alabama and the No. 6 overall player nationally in the On3 Consensus. At this time, Alabama is the favorite (49.9 percent) in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine with Georgia (39.5) next, followed by Auburn (8.1).

-Five-star edge rusher Qua Russaw of Montgomery (Ala.) Carver. Russaw is the No. 4 player in Alabama and No. 23 recruit nationally in the On3 Consensus. Georgia (49.5) is favored in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine with Alabama (34.5) next, then Auburn (13.1).

These two standout recruits not only are teammates at Carver, but both train at Madhouse Athletic Training in Montgomery. Each has visited the Tigers multiple times this year.

Get to know Auburn target James Smith

Here is Smith’s On3 bio: James Smith is back in Alabama after transferring from G.W. Carver High School in Montgomery, Ala., to IMG Academy. At the time, Smith said “business- and experience-wise,” the move made sense for him. However, he returned back to Alabama and is now one of the top overall prospects in the state. Smith plans on majoring in engineering in college. He lists basketball as his hobby. His father, Charles, is a firefighter. His mother, Malecia Smith, works as a beautician. Smith’s sibling is Jaylen.

Get to know Auburn target Qua Russaw

Here is Russaw’s On3 bio: Qua Russaw was a finalist for Alabama’s Class 6A lineman of the year award as a junior after a season that saw him rack up 130 tackles and more than 27 tackles for a loss. Russaw played his freshman season at Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Ala., before moving to Carver. It was shortly after his freshman year that he landed his first three SEC offers. He said the offers were like “badges of honor” for everything he did to get to this point. “It was amazing,” said Russaw, who also runs track and was timed at 11.70 seconds at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds during his sophomore season. “I was waiting for those offers, and I worked so hard to get to this point. It’s hard to put into words. But I also know I have a lot of hard work still ahead. This is just the beginning of a great journey for me and my family.” Russaw also has one of the higher On3 NIL Valuations in high school football listed at more than $24,000.