Oklahoma QB commit dazzles, 2 top recruits joined at hip, more

Jason Caldwell, 247Sports

Like it or not, we live in a new age of athlete empowerment. At the top of the mountain, aging but still effective superstars like LeBron James and Tom Brady serve as de-facto GMs, recruiting the top ring-chasing talents to their respective teams in the NBA and the NFL.

At the college level, the transfer portal has enabled student-athletes to control their situation more than at any previous point in history. 

Meanwhile, NIL deals are now also filtering down to the high school level.

The next stage in this evolution may already be underway. Two of the top defensive high school players in the nation are planning on being recruited together to the same college. That would be James Smith and Qua Russaw of Carver (Ala.), who are presenting themselves as a package deal to potential recruiters.

Smith is a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle who’s the top-ranked player in the state and second among defensive linemen in the country. Meanwhile, Russaw (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) is the nation’s fourth-ranked EDGE recruit. According to Sports Illustrated, they’re insisting on going to the same school, and there appears to be no Plan B.

The duo has released a list of the same six programs they’re interested in—Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida and Alabama State.

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