Ohio State landed two of Alabama's defensive linemen in the transfer portal on Monday night.
The Ohio State Buckeyes landed the two Alabama Crimoson Tide defensive line trasnfers late on Monday night. Edge rusher Qua Russaw and interior lineman James Smith. The two come to Columbus together after two years and three years respectively in Tuscaloosa.
These two do everything together. They were former High School teammates before continuing to be teammates for Alabama only to then transfer together to Ohio State. They were members of Nick Saban's final recruiting class along with quarterback Julian Sayin.
© Mickey Welsh / Adver | 2022 Dec 21 While I think these two additions are solid depth ads for Ohio State, it needs to be very clear, this isn't like the addition of Caleb Downs.
Russaw was much better in his first season for Alabama than he was in his second year. That first year saw Russaw play in 13 games finishing with 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions. He was looking at being one of the next greats in Alabama but year two was a struggle.
In the second year, Russaw was listed as the starter but was injured in the second half against Georgia. When he came back to the team he had lost his starting spot and had become a thing of the past.
He finished 2025 with 14 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack.
Smith, on the other hand, played in every game this year for the Crimson Tide and put together a solid season. He finished with 28 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks from the interior of the defensive line. That is solid production from a defensive tackle.
Comparitively, Ohio State's defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was named an All-American with a 65 tackle, nine tackles for loss and three sacks.
Smith won't fill in for the loss of McDonald, but he is a nice piece to do it.
These two both bring something different to the table for the Buckeyes. Former defensive coordinator Kane Wommack described Smith as a "really such an explosive player," while he described Russaw as a "special talent" while having to balance when to and when not to "be too aggressive."
Ohio State adds to players that they needed to to finish out this Transfer Portal season. I still do not believe that they did enough, specifically on the offensive side of the ball to address their weaknesses.
The Buckeyes in 2026 will have yet again, another great defense. Let's just hope their offense can match the production and get this team back to the promised land, where they belong.