Nick Saban recruited and developed many physical freaks and students of the game on defense in 17 years at Alabama.
Names such as Rolando McClain, C.J. Mosley, Reuben Foster, Da’Ron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams, Ryan Anderson, Terrell Lewis, Marcell Dareus, Terrence Cody, Quinnen Williams, and A’Shawn Robinson come to mind quickly among others that were physically gifted, but also had the mindset of a warrior. Kalen DeBoer did not recruited this former five-star to the Crimson Tide, but he gets the opportunity to develop him.
Qua Russaw, a redshirt freshman, is an incredibly gifted specimen.
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The alumnus of Carver High School (Montgomery, Ala.) had Tide fans rejoicing when he signed his national letter of intent to attend the University of Alabama in the 2023 signing class. Russaw was a monster in high school, destroying everything in his path under head coach Marcus Gardner.
Auburn University thought it had him in a fierce Iron Bowl recruiting war, yet Russaw said yes to the Tide over the Tigers, Gators, and Georgia Bulldogs. After redshirting his freshman season, Russaw was electric against Western Kentucky last week at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
He earned the start at Wolf (edge-rushing linebacker) and had four tackles, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback pressure.
His teammates refer to him as a ‘freak of nature’ and one can understand why, especially being 251 pounds and running 23 miles per hour. The 6-foot-2 terrorizer plays with bad intentions.
Christian Robinson, Alabama’s outside linebackers coach, says Russaw’s mentality came from adversity.
“He has taken a huge step in his understanding of overall football,” Robinson said. “He takes notes in meetings, he’s always making me sneak out of a meeting to come meet with him. That’s one of the things I love about him. He said something in one of the meetings that when he was in high school, he got hurt. When he was going through that, it was about how much he missed football. So he’s preparing as if it is going away. He is going everything he can, and I am really proud of him.”
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Russaw’s explosiveness led to Alabama shutting out Western Kentucky and allowing 145 yards.
Robinson said the second-year linebacker is one of the main guys that can help the team.
“He earned the right to out there first,” he said about Russaw getting the start. “I was proud of him.”
Robinson wants to give Russaw more opportunities, but he’s not the only coach seeing his abilities. Chris Kapilovic, the Tide’s offensive line coach, watches Russaw wreck shop on his unit in practice. He loves the growth Russaw has made.
“Since I’ve been here, I have seen him grow in his effort, his ability to put together combinations of pass rush moves, and play physical against the run,” Kapilovic said about Russaw. “It is painful to see sometimes because he beats one of my guys, but it has been good to see his growth.”
Jihaad Campbell, a junior inside linebacker, gets the joy of playing behind Russaw up front.
The New Jersey native shared a team-high nine tackles versus the Hilltoppers, but loves Russaw’s mentality.
What makes Alabama LB Qua Russaw a freak of nature on the field?
Jihaad Campbell: “That boy is a dawg. He is an all of the above player.”
Russaw is a monster, folks!@TDAlabamaMag @TouchdownETP pic.twitter.com/TwfzqHMCS7
— Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) September 3, 2024
“That boy is a dawg man,” Campbell said.
“He is an all the above player. He does everything right. He listens to feedback. I mean, he is just a great player.”
Russaw is ready to tear it up against South Florida after watching a struggle victory in 2023.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
