Justin Hill gives Alabama football big recruiting win in Ohio States backyard

Alabama's summer recruiting momentum continued Wednesday as the Crimson Tide added four-star prospect Justin Hill, the No. 4 edge rusher and No. 58 overall player in the 247Sports Composite. His commitment comes a day after Alabama signed four-star tight end Kaleb Edwards.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Hill, a graduate of Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, favored Alabama over long-considered Ohio State, plus Oregon and USC.

Hill is an emerging player who has improved each year of varsity football. He recorded 42 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks as a sophomore, and last year as a junior he had 36 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and two forced fumbles. Hill's high school tape shows a compilation of skills needed to play the Wolf position at Alabama: pressure the passer, create chaos against the run and be a factor in coverage by batting up passes.

That hybrid position, it's hard to find a guy who can do all those things and not have to man it on and off the court, Winton Woods coach Chad Murphy said. He can do all of that and he's the same guy.

Additionally, Winton Woods sometimes deploys him as an off-ball linebacker. With his build, there is a chance a move to inside linebacker is in the cards, which has been the case for current Alabama players Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Alexander.

What Hills' Commitment to Alabama Means

Hill officially visited Alabama over the weekend of June 14, which turned out to be one of the most impactful ones yet. He’s the fourth commitment to come out of that weekend, joining offensive lineman Jackson Lloyd, defensive lineman London Simmons and kicker Alex Asparuhov. Alabama now has players committed from 10 states: Ohio, Alabama, California, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Hill is the 22nd commitment in Alabama's class, which ranks No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite, trailing only Ohio State. With Hill on board, Alabama has committed seven top-100 players and 18 blue-chip prospects (four- or five-star recruits), which ties the Buckeyes for the most in the country.

New outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson has done a solid job in his first recruiting cycle on the staff, signing two top-75 prospects in Hill and Dawson Merritt (the No. 62 overall pick) to a unit that will have just one permanent departure after this season in senior Quandarrius Robinson. Considering the fact that the roster includes junior Keanu Koht, redshirt freshmen Yhonzae Pierre and Qua Russaw and true freshmen Noah Carter and Jayshawn Ross, there's a legitimate case to be made for the newly minted Wolf position having the greatest concentration of recruiting pedigree on the roster. Kennington Smith III, Alabama reporter

What This Means for Ohio State

Ohio State hasn't been able to sign many key players this season cycle, but losing Hill will be painful.

The Buckeyes have locked up elite in-state talent and thought they had a strong chance with Hill, who is ranked No. 4 in Ohio. Hill was expected to be a key part of Larry Johnson’s deep defensive line class. Instead, Ohio State will look elsewhere to fill that void, though replacing him as the best-suited player for the jack position in this class won’t be easy. Ohio State has had Hill high on its priority list for years, and it wasn’t enough.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t kill Ohio State’s class. It’s still the highest-ranked group in the country with 10 top-100 recruits. The Buckeyes already have commitments from Zion Grady and Zahir Mathis, both top-10 edge rushers. However, this loss means Ohio State will have to bring in a few other defensive linemen.

Four-star Damien Shanklin is the 10th edge rusher in the class and will choose between Alabama, Ohio State and LSU on July 5. Then, all eyes will turn to five-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn. The Texas native will announce his decision on July 6 and will choose between Ohio State, USC, Texas and Texas A&M.

Ohio State still has a chance to finish this class on a strong note, but after breaking through Alabama and landing a pair of elite defensive recruits, the Tide flipped the script and raided Ohio. Losing an elite in-state pass rusher won’t be an easy pill to swallow. Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State reporter

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(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)