4-star LB Qua Birdsong announces top five schools

Lagrange (Ga.) Troup County four-star linebacker Qua Birdsong announced his top five schools on Friday. They are Miami, Michigan, UCF, Cincinnati and Arkansas.

Birdsong is the No. 161 overall prospect and No. 17 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 27 player in Georgia.

On3 rates Birdsong higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 136 overall prospect, No. 10 linebacker and No. 18 player in Georgia.

The 6-foot-2.5, 180-pound defender recently received an offer from the Hurricanes. He is set to take an unofficial visit to Miami on April 6.

“Coach Derek Nicholson called and offered me, and the phone call went very good,” Birdsong told Stephen Wagner of CaneSport. “Me and coach clicked instantly. His energy was amazing! (He said), ‘We need you here. Come lead this defense.’

“Miami is definitely my top school right now.”

“How early I can make an impact on the field,” Birdsong added about why Miami is standing out to him. “The most important thing (in my recruitment) is if a coach wants to see me develop off the field, not just on the field, and how I early I can make an impact on the field.”

Birdsong discusses other contenders

Cincinnati is currently the only school that has set an official visit with Birdsong. He will see the Bearcats on the weekend of June 10.

Despite the coaching change in Cincinnati, Birdsong is feeling good about the Bearcats. He has talked with new head coach Scott Satterfield.

“That’s not going to stop anything,” Birdsong told On3’s Jeremy Johnson on March 2. “I’m going to keep my interest in them. Coach Satterfield and all of them stay in contact. They show a lot of love.”

Even though USC did not make his top five, Birdsong shared with Johnson that he wants to take an official visit to the Trojans.

“They stay consistent with me,” Birdsong said. “They’re not worried about my weight, they know they can put weight on me. They want me how I am.”

Birdsong has an On3 NIL Valuation of $97K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.