Tag: Qua Russaw

Early Signing Period: Tracking Wednesday’s major recruiting moves

See where the top 2023 recruits land as the early signing period kicks off

The early signing period runs from Wednesday to Friday, and several college football teams have jumped out ahead and gotten some huge recruiting wins already. Oregon got themselves a five-star recruit, while Alabama got two.

Here’s our tracker of the most-important signings/commitments of the day.

More recruiting stories

Every ’23 Colorado commit under Coach Prime

The top 20 undecided recruits in the 2023 class

Early Signing Period: 5 names Alabama fans should know

5 names that Alabama fans should be watching when early signing day arrives on Wednesday.

Bowl season is underway but maybe the biggest headline across the sport of college football this week is the early signing period has nearly arrived. On Wednesday some of the nation’s top talent will begin signing their national letters of intent with their school of choice.

Currently, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Crimson Tide have the top-ranked class in the country, according to most recruiting services, and should have a strong Wednesday.

Alabama has 25 commitments heading into the week with several high-level prospects still on the board and within reach for the Crimson Tide.

Here are the top five names that Alabama fans should be watching come Wednesday:

Carver five-star duo receive crystal balls in favor of the Crimson Tide

Good news for the Crimson Tide for some of the top in-state talent.

Early signing day is just a week away and [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide are expected to have an impressive haul.

Two players that are not yet committed but are garnering massive attention are the pair of five-star defensive prospects from Montgomery’s Carver High School, outside linebacker Qua Russaw and defensive lineman James Smith.

Russaw and Smith are expected to be a package deal and Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports recently dropped a crystal ball for each prospect, both in favor of the Crimson Tide.

Smith and Russaw are the top two players in the state of Alabama for the class of 2023 according to 247’s Composite Rankings.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor both Smith and Russaw leading up to signing day.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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Florida’s coaching staff visiting pair of 5-star recruits on Monday

While the madness ensues in the transfer portal and NFL draft declarations, the Gators are on the recruiting trail on Monday.

Monday marked a big day in the college football world as it marked the start of the NCAA transfer portal period, which has been at the forefront of the minds of millions of rabid fans. However, in the background amidst the portal din and NFL draft declarations, the recruiting trail is also heating up after the end of the no-contact period on Friday.

While the 2022 campaign left a lot to be desired on the field for the Florida Gators, off the field, head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. have done a remarkable job pulling the program out of the recruiting doldrums up to a consensus top-10 class for this cycle. The staff’s efforts were once again on display according to Swamp247 with Napier, linebackers coach [autotag]Mike Peterson[/autotag] and co-defensive coordinator [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] scheduled to visit a pair of five-star recruits on Monday who remain undecided in the 2023 class — Montgomery (Alabama) Carver five-star teammates [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag] and [autotag]James Smith[/autotag].

Both have visited Gainesville twice before, logging an unofficial visit during the Friday Night Lights event at the end of July while also dropping in for an official visit for the LSU game.

“They see me more being used like Brenton Cox, but they said they could use me in different spots so I can make plays the whole game if it came to that,” Russaw told Swamp247 prior. “They see me being someone to fill in for Cox though.”

His teammate expressed similar sentiments for the program recently.

“I liked the scheme. They put people in the position to make plays. They see me being like a three or four technique or even playing some zero. Coach Spencer said he likes how I play impressive and get up the field and cause havoc. He said I can fit into what they do with how I play.”

The two high school seniors have already spent three of their five official visits on the Georgia Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers, as well as the Gators, and both still plan to use another this coming weekend with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The two top prep prospects are considered to be a package deal by most in the recruiting circles.

Russaw is ranked No. 31 overall and No. 5 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 23 and 2, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has ‘Bama far out front in the race for his talents with a 74.7% chance of landing him, with Auburn and Florida following at 14.2% and 4.4%, respectively.

Smith is ranked No. 15 overall and No. 2 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 14 and 2, respectively. The Tide also are also in the lead for the five-star’s talents according to On3’s RPM with a narrower 42.3% chance of signing him, while Georgia, Auburn and Florida follow at 26.7%, 23.1% and 4.4%, respectively.

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Auburn remains in hunt for state’s top prospects

Zac Ethridge has kept Alabama’s top 2023 prospects interested in Auburn. Now, Hugh Freeze has the chance to earn their signature.

Two of Alabama’s top 2023 prospects have been frequent visitors to the Plains, despite the turmoil of Auburn’s head coaching situation.

[autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag], who rank No. 1 and No. 5 respectively in 247Sports’ Alabama recruiting rankings, and teammates at Carver High School in Montgomery, have each taken in four football games at Jordan-Hare Stadium this season, and have remained interested in the Tigers.

Most of that has been due to the efforts of [autotag]Zac Ethridge[/autotag]. Ethridge has remained close with Smith and Russaw, and hopes to rebuild Auburn’s program with those two defensive line stars helping set the foundation.

Ethridge, along with new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], associate head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], linebackers coach [autotag]Christian Robinson[/autotag], and new defensive line coach [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] visited Madhouse Training in Montgomery on Friday, which is home where Russaw and Smith train with founder Tracy Varner.

Varner tells 247Sports that the visit went well, and likes the enjoyed meeting with Freeze for the first time.

“It was actually mine and Hugh’s first time ever talking. I was saying I don’t know how we missed each other when you were at Ole Miss, somehow we did,” Varner said. “Good dude, You know he knows ball. He has that old Southern charm, he can talk to anybody and he does that well. It was good. He was like we’re really going to go after these guys.”

Varner credits Ethridge for keeping Smith and Russaw in contention to sign with Auburn, and believes that Freeze has the chance to land them.

“Zac (Ethridge) did a great job with Qua and James and was one of the few coaches they talked to,” Varner said. “They don’t talk to a lot of coaches and Zac put y’all in good position to see what y’all can do in the next couple weeks.”

Freeze did not meet with Smith and Russaw during his visit to Montgomery, but the plan is for the duo to spend an entire day with Freeze within the next two weeks. Freeze also plans to spend time at each of their homes as well.

The early signing period begins Wednesday, Dec. 21.

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Newly-committed QB recruit visiting Swamp for South Carolina game

Florida’s newest commit, four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada, will be in town this weekend to see the Gators take on the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Florida’s newest commit, four-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag], will be in town for Saturday’s contest against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The recent Miami flip took to Twitter the day after his announcement to confirm his visit. He most recently made his way to Gainesville on June 7 for an official visit a few weeks before he committed to Miami. There’s no doubt that UF rolled out the red carpet for him, but being in the Swamp for a game day while knowing you’ll be playing on that field is a completely different story.

Let’s be honest, Gator Nation was stunned in the best way when Rashada broke the news of his flip. We’ve seen the way the fans go all out for other recruits such as [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] and [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag], so there’s little reason to believe that Rashada will get anything but a warm welcome from the Florida faithful.

Rashada is the top-rated commit in Florida’s recruiting class of 2023 and is among the top players in the country.

The 247 Sports composite ranks him at No. 61 overall and No. 7 among quarterbacks in the class. The On3 consensus is even more bullish on him, ranking Rashada at No. 57 overall in the class and at the same No. 7 spot among players at his position.

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OPINION: Billy Napier looks good at Florida… but can he land the best?

Missing out on Cormani McClain may hurt, but you should still trust in Billy Napier’s process.

There’s a tendency among college football fans to overreact to the slightest disappointment on the recruiting trail. Florida’s first-year coach Billy Napier has missed on a few big-name recruits in his short time at the helm, but it’s his latest miss that has even the most patient of fans wondering if the new man in charge is out of his depth.

In case you missed it, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2023, cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag], committed to the University of Miami over Florida and Alabama on Thursday. It was a shocking development in a recruitment that seemed to favor Florida significantly. McClain had been to the Swamp over half a dozen times over the past two years and had several experts project him to land with UF.

This isn’t the first time Mario Cristobal and Miami have beat Napier and Co. for a high-priority target either. The Hurricanes were arguably the hottest team of the summer thanks to some incredible success on the recruiting trail, including the commitments of four-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] and five-star offensive lineman [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag]. Both were priority targets for the Gators, and Napier even penned an open letter asking for patience following the Rashada announcement.

In fairness to Florida’s head coach and recruiting staff, the Gators have put together a top-10 class since then that’s composed mostly of four-star players. UF ranks No. 9 in the team recruiting rankings on both 247Sports and On3 and only fell below Miami after missing out on McClain.

But that begs the question of whether or not Florida will be able to achieve the kind of success it needs in the recruiting world to reach a College Football Playoff. A quick glance at the team rankings on either site says that Napier’s current class won’t be enough.

Florida is one of two teams in the top 13 without a five-star recruit under verbal commitment (the other being LSU at No. 7). A year ago, Oklahoma was the only program to finish in the top 13 without a five-star recruit. The Sooners haven’t been relevant this season since Week 4, and it’s easy to see a similar situation playing out in Gainesville over the next year.

For comparison, the Georgias and Alabamas of the world have signed at least three five-star recruits in each of the past four recruiting cycles. That’s what it takes to be at the top of the SEC and all of college football.

So far, Napier hasn’t shown that he’s able to close like Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. Instead, he’s being outclassed, or perhaps outbid, by another first-year head coach at an in-state program that’s frankly produced worse results on the field through eight weeks.

So what’s the solution?

It’s far too early to think about a potential buyout. Napier doesn’t even have his guys on the field for the most part. He’s working with a flawed roster assembled by an apathetic recruiter and Todd Grantham. Napier deserves a shot at a full season with a team that’s fully bought into his culture and plan.

But it’s also wrong to ask the fanbase to sit idly by while a pattern that’s proven to lead to a large skill gap in the conference plays out. Florida has the resources and profile to attract the best names in the state, but it’s time for the Gators to close on one of them.

Florida is still in the race for a handful of undecided recruits in the top 50. Edge rusher [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag] might have the strongest connection with the school, but it could be tough to land both him and defensive lineman [autotag]James Smith[/autotag], who is expected to be a package deal with Russaw. [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag] recently re-classified to the class of 2023 and is the second-highest-ranked cornerback behind McClain, but Alabama wants him too.

Landing all three would bring Florida back into the top-5 conversation, but it should only take one to keep Napier safe from a burning hot seat in year two. Some in Gator Nation may think that’s too easy of an out for him, but instant gratification can be misleading. Napier’s trying to change the entire program, and on-the-field talent only goes so far. Plus, let’s not forget that he and Corey Raymond worked to bring in five-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] in the 2022 cycle with just two months to get the job done.

Still, Dan Mullen proved that you can’t out-coach a talent gap in the SEC, and Napier knew the challenge he was taking on when he accepted the job. His message has remained steady, and most of the early returns have been good.

It’s just that good isn’t enough at the University of Florida. This program’s history demands greatness, and the fan base demands perfection. Napier won’t back down from that challenge, but he’s certainly hit a roadblock or two in his first year and the McClain decision emphasized that to the masses.

An old coach of mine used to hit us with a phrase popularized by the pastor Charles Swindoll during times of adversity: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

It’s time for Napier (and the Gator Collective) to react.

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5-star EDGE has Florida ‘up there’ following visit to LSU game

Florida’s defense may have struggled against LSU over the weekend, but one of the top uncommitted edge rushers in the class of 2023 sees it as an opportunity to start early if he chooses UF.

Florida’s defense didn’t impress much on Saturday against LSU, but five-star edge rusher [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag] — who was in town on an official visit over the weekend — saw those defensive struggles as a net positive for the Gators in terms of his recruitment, according to 247Sports.

That might sound odd, but a struggling unit is often a few pieces away from success in the SEC, and Russaw could be that missing link on defense. The Gators like him as [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag].’s successor at the JACK linebacker spot. It’s a position Russaw has plenty of interest in playing at the college level because it allows him to utilize every ounce of versatility that makes him the five-star EDGE he is.

Cox is headed to the NFL after this year, so Russaw sees a very clear path to take over that starting spot as early as his freshman season.

“I thought (Florida) played good,” Russaw said. “The defense was struggling, but I feel like they are just missing a few pieces. The offense played great and the atmosphere was crazy because of the fans. They were going crazy out there. I realize Cox, number 1 and 51 the linebacker ([autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag])are both seniors so they will be gone. It’s just another opportunity to come play. On third down they really couldn’t get off the field. I see opportunity though. They have a window to where if I come in, work, then I could potentially be starting in my first year.”

Florida is one of six finalists for Russaw along with Alabama, Alabama State, Auburn, Georgia and Ohio State. He’s been on official visits to Auburn and Georgia in addition to Florida and will be in Alabama next weekend for the Mississippi State game, albeit in an unofficial capacity. The Georgia-Tennessee game might be his next stop after that, and then he could be back in the Swamp for the South Carolina game.

Russaw’s schedule is still very up in the air right now, but he knows that Florida is worth another look after a successful weekend.

“It helped them out,” he said of Florida. “I was already interested in them, but this visit really put them up there.”

The plan is to decide during the early signing period alongside fellow five-star teammate [autotag]James Smith[/autotag]. The two are considered a package deal and Smith had fun on his visit this weekend as well.

The 247Sports composite ranks Russaw at No. 29 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 5 among edge rushers.

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Tracking which recruits attend Florida’s Week 7 matchup with LSU

There will be a ton of recruits visiting the Swamp this weekend to see Florida face LSU.

The Florida Gators are set to host the LSU Tigers over the weekend for a major SEC matchup, but those aren’t the only visitors that Billy Napier and Company need to worry about this week. The recruiting team is set to host dozens of elite prospects from three different classes on Saturday (2023, 2024 and 2025).

Keeping track of all those prospects can get confusing, but we’ve got you covered. Below is every confirmed visitor, both official and unofficial, for the weekend. Some big names, such as five-star cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag], are still up in the air right now, but Gators Wire will update this list throughout the weekend and include the newest additions at the top.

Florida’s coming off a pair of commitments on Thursday from cornerback [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag], which brings the class of 2023 to 22 total commitments. There’s still room to add a player or two, though, and the Gators are rolling out the red carpet this week.

Florida to host 5-star duo on official visits for LSU game

These two five-star teammates made it to the Swamp over the summer, but now they’ll get a chance to see Florida’s campus on game day.

The Florida Gators will have a pair of priority recruiting targets in town on October 15 when the LSU Tigers come to Gainesville.

A pair of five-star teammates from Carver High in Montgomery, Alabama, defensive lineman [autotag]James Smith[/autotag] and edge rusher [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag], are expected to take official visits to the University of Florida on that date, according to 247Sports.

Russaw and Smith made their first trip to the Swamp back in July during the same weekend as the team’s Friday Night Lights camp. Recruiters view the duo as a package deal and they’ve each narrowed things down to the same six schools, but it’s possible they end up in different programs. Alabama and Georgia are the two favorites to land them, but Florida is viewed as a dark horse that could pick up steam with a strong visit.

Aside from those three programs, Alabama State, Auburn and Ohio State are still in the race. Alabama State might be the odd man out here, but historically black colleges and universities are picking up steam with some of the top recruits in the country. Those who follow recruiting closely will remember the top recruit in the class of 2022, cornerback Travis Hunter, flipping on signing day from Florida State to Jackson State.

Florida has one of the strongest defensive line classes in the country, though, and that could be what’s enticing Russaw and Smith. On the edge, Russaw would join four-star commit [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag], who flipped from UCF. At defensive tackle and end, the Gators have almost half a dozen incoming players verbally committed with a four-star grade. [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] leads the group at No. 79 on the 247Sports composite, but adding Russaw and Smith would take the Gators to the next level.

Smith is No. 14 overall on the composite and is ranked No. 2 among defensive linemen in the class of 2023. Russaw is No. 26 overall and No. 3 among edge rushers on the list. Earning commitments from both recruits would immediately put Florida in contention for a top-3 class, but there’s a lot of work to put in until a decision is made.

The duo’s recruitment should continue through the rest of the season and they should stay uncommitted until the early signing period.

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