Qua Russaw explains what led to his second-year leap after redshirting in 2023
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Qua Russaw was dealing with a lower-leg injury the last time Alabama was on a bye week. While no one is 100 percent this time of year, Russaw feels "good" as the Crimson Tide takes a second week off before a pivotal game at LSU next week.
"I'm just ready to turn that corner and perform," Russaw said.
Russaw started the first three games of Alabama's 2024 season before his injury. While he has not been the first Wolf linebacker on the field during any of the SEC games, he has continued to be a key piece to the Crimson Tide's defensive puzzle, playing in all eight contests and logging 20 or more snaps in all but one of UA's games (19 vs. South Carolina).
Russaw is responsible for 19 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one interception on the season. The pick came the last time out against Missouri, and the redshirt freshman attributed that play and his success to what Alabama asks of its Wolves.
"I think in this defense, the Wolf position, it's a lot of room for us to get the freedom to rush the passer, drop," Russaw said. "I caught an interception. Play a little middle linebacker and basically just create value for us in this defense."
How different is Kane Wommack 's "swarm" defense from the one Russaw learned last year?
"It's way different," Russaw said. "This year, we roam around a lot. Coach Kane likes that. Just trying to use our athletic ability to do what we do."
Russaw was a 5-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, per the On3 Industry Rankings. The Montgomery, Alabama native was rated as the 27th overall recruit, the No. 3 linebacker and the No. 4 player from the Yellowhammer State. The role he's in now is more similar to what he did at Carver High School than what he was asked to do a year ago at UA.
"I did some of the stuff we do this year in high school," Russaw said. "It's kind of natural, for real, just playing. Nothing too hard and just going after it."
In 2023, Russaw did not see the field in any of the Tide's 14 games, redshirting in his first year in Tuscaloosa. He was one of three 5-star linebackers who did that a year ago. But not playing at all in Year 1 at Alabama didn't phase Russaw, who is now a key contributor.
"I understood why I wasn't playing; because I needed to learn more," Russaw said. "Physically, I think my body was good, but it was just learning football."
Russaw added nine pounds to his 6-foot-2 frame, climbing to 251 pounds. But more importantly, he sought to learn more, spending his offseason focusing on the mental side of the game.
"Just learning football," Russaw said. "When I came here, I really didn't know nothing. So just taking my football IQ to the next level is what gave me the ability to separate myself from the others."
One way to help in that area is by watching film, which is something he learned from former teammate Dallas Turner , who was always on his iPad watching game and NFL cutups.
"Dallas and my boy ( Chris Braswell ), last year, I didn't play but just watching them day by day, learning football," Russaw said. "Just trying to take my game to the next level. They just always told me to keep my head on straight and do what I'm supposed to do."
Russaw has taken a big step between Years 1 and 2, but now healthy entering the month of November, the redshirt freshman will look to strongly finish the Tide's regular season.
While he doesn't have a ton of experience, his coaches believe he's ready for a final push.
"He's still a young guy," said Alabama outside 'backers coach Christian Robinson . "He's not a young guy in the way I treat him, but this is his first year actually getting to play. So there's things that every game he's learning something new for the first time and can we have him prepared for when the bigger games come at the end of the season? And we're at one.
"I talked to him about being ready for these moments, and you work to them. And he's worked his whole career and coming from being a little bit banged up for these moments, and he's ready for it."
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