Pair of Former Alabama Football Defensive Starters Commits to Ohio State

James Smith and Qua Russaw will be college teammates once more after transferring from Alabama last week. Per On3's Hayes Fawcett on Monday evening, Smith and Russaw have committed to continue their careers at Ohio State.

Both former Crimson Tide starters and high school teammates at Carver High School in Montgomery, Ala., the two players came to Tuscaloosa as part of the 2023 recruiting class. Smith saw the field at Alabama first, playing in nine games during Nick Saban's final season, while Russaw took a redshirt for that season.

During the 2025-26 campaign, Smith played in every game and started 12 contests, logging 28 tackles with 2.5 sacks along the defensive line. Russaw began the season as a starter at Wolf linebacker, then was injured during the first half of a game against Georgia on Sept. 27.

Russaw made it back to the field in time for the regular season home finale, playing against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 22, but finished his third season with the Alabama program playing in only nine games. Yhonzae Pierre broke out at the Wolf spot in Russaw's absence, and Russaw's entry to the transfer portal became known one day before Smith's intentions to join him there. Russaw recorded 14 tackles and one sack this past season.

Both players put themselves in a position to be among the key players on the Crimson Tide's defense in year two of the Kalen DeBoer era. Russaw and Smith each played in every game over the course of the 2024-25 season. Smith earned praise for his explosiveness during fall camp last year.

"James is such an explosive player," defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said on Aug. 25. "[He] is in a really good position going into [Florida State] game week. Excited about him." Also during fall camp, Wommack described Russaw as the freakiest athlete on the defense.

"He's a special talent," Wommack said Aug. 6. "What I like about Qua is [him] knowing when to and when not to, from a physical standpoint, be too aggressive. I think he's learned a lot last year with the experience that he has."

When Russaw got hurt, DeBoer said it wasn't expected that the injury (a broken foot) would end his season. As it turned out, the Rose Bowl loss on Jan. 1 against Indiana was the last game in a Crimson Tide uniform for Russaw and Smith. The two combined for one tackle, an assisted stop credited to Russaw.

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