In the midst of ranking Alabama football as his No. 6 defense in the nation entering 2025, former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy went through a list of players he thought could make an impact. Speaking on his ESPN podcast, Always College Football, McElroy pointed out the obvious names, like Deontae Lawson and LT Overton.
Then, he brought up a younger player who he was especially high on.
“Qua Russaw, he’s the guy that I think has a chance to take over the game,” McElroy said on the podcast, published on Monday. “He was a little bit banged up at times last year. Got a little banged up in the Wisconsin game, but there were so many moments throughout the year that you saw those flashes.”
Russaw, a redshirt sophomore edge for Alabama, started six games last year for the Crimson Tide, and saw the field in all 13. He made 36 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, with one sack.
The Carver-Montgomery product also snagged two interceptions and forced a fumble.
“Now, if he can put it all together in his redshirt sophomore year, he’s got All-SEC and All-American potential, for sure,” McElroy said.
Russaw joined the Crimson Tide in 2023, when Nick Saban was still the coach. The 6-foot-2, 242-pound linebacker stuck around through the transition to new head coach Kalen DeBoer and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, and made a bigger impact during his second year in Tuscaloosa.
He earned praise from his coaches during the season, especially when Que Robinson’s season ended due to an elbow injury, making more snaps for Russaw.
“I just think he’s doing a really good job of continuing to stay relentless in this process,” Wommack said of Russaw in November. “And now that, because of injury and because he’s producing at a higher level, he is playing more and more consistent as we go through the season. And certainly when you think about some of the things that have happened in that room, and we’ve got a couple of guys that were down, he’s stepping up at the right time.”
Alabama wrapped up spring football in April will begin preseason camp in early August. The Crimson Tide is scheduled to begin the 2025 season with a trip to Tallahassee, where it will face Florida State on Aug. 30.
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