Qua Russaw loves the way Alabama develops its players

Qua Russaw, Rivals100 edge rusher from Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama, is one of the premier defensive recruits in the country. He is wanted by every top school in the country. He is not becoming complacent. He knows this is just the beginning and wants to develop into one of the best defensive players in college football.

Russaw is working every day which includes 5:00 a.m. work-outs multiple times each week at Madhouse Training in Montgomery.

His trainers have helped develop several NFL players including former Tide stars like Mack Wilson, Henry Ruggs and Shaun Dion Hamilton. Alabama freshman defensive lineman Khurtiss Perry also trained at the facility during his high school days.

Russaw visited Alabama earlier this year for Junior Day. He visited Georgia a few times which has caused many to believe the Bulldogs are the front-runner in his recruitment. Russaw has yet to name any leader, but returning to Tuscaloosa on Saturday for A-Day was big for the Crimson Tide.

"The visit went really good," he said after his early morning work-out on Wednesday. "The defense really went off. They had like 20 total sacks. I watched Will Anderson. He was doing great.

"I hung out with Khurtiss Perry. He was just telling me how he wants me to come there. He told me it's a great place, but you have to work."

Russaw said the best part of the visit was spending time with Alabama safeties coach Charles Kelly who is in charge of his recruitment. Another highlight was seeing New England Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson who played at Carver before becoming a standout at Alabama. Wilson had a similar recruitment as a five-star and took his decision all the way to signing day.

"It was fun being around him," Russaw said of Mack Wilson who spends a lot of his off-season training at Madhouse with Russaw and James Smith (also in Tuscaloosa on Saturday). "He is like my big brother. He's always at Madhouse training with us. You already know he wants me to go to Bama. It's always Roll Tide from him."

The major in-state target for the Crimson Tide also spoke with Nick Saban and Pete Golding during the unofficial visit for A-Day. He currently stands 6-foot-3, 239-pounds. The Tide coaches see him moving around in Coach Saban and Coach Golding's defense.

"They just want to know how they can finalize everything with me and lock me in," Russaw said of the conversations with the Tide coaches. "I know it's gonna be hard. I want to be somewhere they are going to push me. I want to be where I am supposed to be.

"They see me playing middle, but also rushing the outside. It doesn't really matter to me. I can play all over. What I am looking for is just seeing how the school develops players and how they make them better. I don't want to just hear them telling me that. I want them to show me."

Alabama has proven time and again how well it develops its players on both sides of the ball. The Crimson Tide returns the best defensive player in college football, Will Anderson, but will have several stars on that side of the ball this fall.

"What stands out the most to me about Alabama is how they develop their players,” he said. "They get their guys to the league. They have their guys prepared and ready each week. They are always going to be hard to beat."

Russaw is not in a rush to make a decision. He will likely wait until the early signing period in December before a commitment. The plan is to release a top 10 this week. He said the schools currently recruiting him the hardest include Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and Oklahoma.