2023 Edge Qua Russaw Red-Hot on the Recruiting Trail
Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn, UCF, Florida.
Jaquavious 'Qua' Russaw has added each of the regional powers to his scholarship offer list in just the last month. As spring football opens up in the state of Alabama and beyond, more could be on the way for the 6'3", 230-pound edge rusher who moonlights as an imposing 100-meter dasher with recent times hovering just above 11 seconds.
In addition to running by sprinters 50-plus pounds smaller than he, the Montgomery (Ala.) Carver rising-junior is known as a menacing front-seven presence with Power 5 potential. He broke out in 2020 with five sacks and seven tackles for loss in the pandemic-condensed fall season.
Hand-timed 40-yard dashes haven't hurt his stock to date, either.
"It's been fun, pretty much fun. I get to go to the track meet and compete against people," Russaw told SI All-American in late April. "Track just helps with football, being explosive and making plays.
"But I love just hitting the quarterback and then the crowd going crazy, that's what I love about getting sacks and stuff."
The potential to pressure the passer, with experience standing up as well as with his hand in the dirt through 10th grade, has the possibilities booming among colleges interested in the Montgomery native.
The offers began while at Troy (Ala.) Charles Henderson as a freshman.
"I think it's a blessing," he said. "My freshman year, I had three in the summer and now it's just exploding. I'm getting more exposure.
"LSU, Ole Miss, FSU and Western Kentucky are new. LSU was like, 'woah! I really got LSU! I used to watch them on TV, watched them win a national championship.' They let me know I had the offer and that they wanted me to go to camp in June."
Russaw hasn't locked in any key dates for the month of June or beyond as the NCAA dead period is to be lifted, but he plans on making his initial prospect visits at some point in the summer months.
He does know which SEC program he wants next on the list.
"The next one, I hope is Georgia," he said with a smile. "I grew up watching Georgia and Auburn, mostly Auburn though. My mom's side, dad's side, granddaddy's side, they're mostly Auburn fans."
The thought of playing within state lines has often crossed the sophomore's mind. AU has long been under consideration despite the coaching turnover because of the family preference on the Plains.
"They were very excited," Russaw said when offered by the Tigers. "My granddaddy passed, but he was a big fan of Auburn. The whole family was excited. I feel like I could accomplish something my granddaddy wanted me to accomplish."
Carver-Montgomery will play a Green versus Gold intersquad scrimmage on May 21. With one of the hottest recruits in Alabama paired with national recruit James Smith and others along the same defensive line, the Wolverines won't have a shortage of eyes on the program in 2021.
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