Montgomery’s Qua Russaw, James Smith officially sign with Alabama

Auburn made a strong push for these high school teammates all season but ultimately lost the battle to Alabama.

Auburn Football and Hugh Freeze have had a busy, yet successful beginning to the Early Signing Period, as the staff has managed to flip two four-stars in Keldric Faulk from Florida State, and Kayin Lee from Ohio State.

Those two flips are two of seven that have happened over the last week. But, as Mick Jagger once sang… “you can’t always get what you want.”

Auburn was in the running to land two highly-rated defensive linemen from Carver High School in Montgomery, [autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag]. Despite several visits to campus, the push from Freeze and staff was not strong enough to keep them away from Tuscaloosa, as they have officially signed with Alabama.

Smith and Russaw, who are the state’s No. 1 and No. 2 overall prospects from the 2023 class respectively, are two of six five stars that Nick Saban and company have been able to sign this cycle. The Crimson Tide currently holds the best class according to 247Sports.

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