Auburn football: Qua Russaw, James Smith plan another visit

As National Signing Day– December 21– draws closer and closer, it’s becoming crunch time for Auburn football when it comes to recruiting. Cadillac Williams kept the ball moving while he was interim head coach and secured two commits for the Tigers during that time, but the baton is now being passed to head coach Hugh Freeze and the new staff.

Two of Auburn football’s highest-priority recruits are a package deal and hail from down the road in Montgomery. 5-stars Qua Russaw and James Smith have kept the Tigers heavily in the mix, but it will come down to the wire as the other contenders include Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

The pair took an official visit to the Plains back in June and returned quite a few times to watch the Tigers play in Jordan-Hare Stadium this season. With a new coaching staff in place, both Russaw and Smith are allotted another official visit, but it seems they will be returning to the Plains in a lower-pressure capacity.

According to Keith Niebuhr of Auburn Live, Russaw and Smith will unofficially visit sometime over the next two weeks and get to know head coach Hugh Freeze and the other members of staff. Despite the coaching change, Zac Etheridge has been the driving force behind the pair’s recruitment:

"“(Secondary coach) Zac Etheridge has absolutely done the best job,” a source told Auburn Live. “He has constantly stayed in communication with them, constantly recruited them and sold them on Auburn. He didn’t sell them on playing time or NIL. He told them, ‘Auburn is different. Come see for yourself.’”"

Edge Qua Russaw and defensive lineman James Smith will spend next weekend in Tuscaloosa on an official visit, and then they will announce their decision on December 21. Though the Tide is currently the favorite, Auburn football could still manage to land the duo.