Qua Russaw: A Leader On and Off the Field

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama's defense took a big hit in terms of defensive leaders with the loss of linebackers Jihaad Campbell and Que Robinson, and as well as veteran Malachi Moore. The next-man-up mentality is in full swing, and many have stepped into leadership roles, including linebacker Qua Russaw.

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During Wednesday's media availability, Russaw shared how it's been becoming a leader and how his team sees the respectable quality in him.

"It's been going good stepping into a leadership role here; some of the guys voted me to be a leader, so it's been going good," said Russaw. He elaborated, "As a team, we have voting, and I was one of the guys they selected, so I've been working on my talking skills, talking to some of the younger guys to get them going."

Possessing leaderships skills while playing football at the University of Alabama may be challenging for some, or some may not find it as comfortable, but that's not the case for Russaw. When asked how comfortable he was with taking on the task and being more talkative, he said, "I'm comfortable. I just sit back and work and listen to others; now I'm learning how to say things. I wasn't comfortable [at first] with talking because I didn't know how somebody would react, but it's just knowing what to say to certain people."

In order to find comfort in becoming a leader, he did mention that he learned from a few of the older guys such as Robinson (Que) and Deontae Lawson. He emphasized that Lawson encouraged him to go out and say what is on his mind.

Russaw has shown he possesses leadership qualities both on the field and amongst his team. Outside of football, there's a special initiative that Russaw took over this past weekend, demonstrating how to be a leader off the field.

Sometimes, a football player's job goes beyond their playing abilities. Russaw gathered himself, Wilkin Formby, LT Overton, Tim Keenan, Richard Young, and Kadyn Proctor to visit a young man who is battling stage four cancer. Russaw explained how the situation came about and how it was a different yet positive deed to do.

"It was wonderful; I got the chance to talk to a kid over spring break. His dad's name is Jason, and his name is Will. I was originally supposed to give him something because I previously talked to him. I checked on him last Friday and I found out they were going fishing, and I asked a couple of guys on the team to just go hang out with him and go fishing."

He continued with, "It was amazing; I loved that experience. It was my first time actually doing something like that with myself in charge, so I loved that. We had fun, we had an amazing time; he enjoyed it too. That's what it's all about; his family was happy, and he'll remember that forever."

As the Crismon Tide continues to prep for the upcoming season and become accustomed to changes and growth within the program, a leader like Russaw is much needed to keep the Crimson Tide headed in the right direction.

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