Black Stripe Alert: Alabama transfer sheds black stripe

With 51 new faces on the Ohio State football team, black stripe alerts will be coming a plenty. And the latest player to be officially welcomed to the brotherhood is Alabama transfer Qua Russaw.

Russaw left Tuscaloosa for Columbus with fellow Crimson Tide defensive lineman James Smith earlier this year. While fans seemed to be most excited about the latter, Russaw was a highly sought-after recruit in his own right as well. He was a top-100 recruit coming out of Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama, and was rated as the No. 9 edge rusher in the class according to 247sports.

The former four-star prospect saw his production slip from 2024 to 2025 thanks to a broken foot last September. Russaw went from 36 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a sack two years ago to just 13 tackles and a single sack this past season. He would make a full recovery to help Alabama make the College Football Playoff, where the Tide was ousted in the Rose Bowl by eventual champion Indiana.

By the looks of things, the redshirt junior is making a name for himself early on in spring practice and will push for playing time in the fall.

Russaw becomes the fourth transfer to lose his black stripe this spring, joining receiver Kyle Parker (LSU), safety Earl Little Jr. (Florida State), and linebacker Christian Alliegro (Wisconsin).

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State edge rusher from Alabama sheds black stripe

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