Alabama signs 5-star teammates James Smith, Qua Russaw

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Alabama added two more five-star prospects to its top-ranked 2023 class with the commitments of defensive lineman James Smith and edge rusher Qua Russaw, teammates at Montgomery (Ala.) Carver.

  • Smith is ranked No. 18 overall and the No. 2 defensive lineman in the nation in the 247Sports Composite. Russaw is No. 22 overall and the No. 3 edge rusher.
  • It’s a banner year in the state of Alabama. Smith and Russaw are two of the 12 top-100 national prospects from the state in the 2023 cycle. There were a total of 11 top-100 recruits in the previous two classes combined.
  • Alabama will have six five-star prospects in its 2023 class. That’s the second-most in school history; the Tide signed seven in 2021.
  • Alabama is closing in on its 10th recruiting crown in the last 13 cycles.

Backstory

Smith and Russaw were always viewed as a package deal. Alabama made them a priority from the beginning. There was a concern that Texas A&M, coming off a historic 2022 recruiting class, would ride that momentum into signing both, but the Crimson Tide staff used a steady approach to their recruitment. The duo made plenty of stops at Auburn during the season given the proximity, but the Tigers’ coaching staff wasn’t able to win them over. After Bryan Harsin was fired, Hugh Freeze made both a priority.

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What this means for Alabama

After missing out on Peter Woods at Thompson High and Kelby Collins at Gardendale High as in-state, top-100 defensive linemen, Nick Saban and his staff made landing Smith even more a priority. Perhaps no school in the country has done a better job of recruiting the edge rush position in recent years than the Crimson Tide, with players such as Will Anderson and Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell. Add to that mix Russaw and fellow five-star signee Keon Keeley and that reputation only grows. It would’ve been a great class with or without Smith and Russaw, but the in-state effort would have been a letdown without them.

Required reading

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