Ohio State defensive target Justin Hill commits to Alabama

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has made Justin Hill one of its biggest priorities in the 2025 recruiting cycle and yet, the Buckeyes came up short.

In a stunner, the four-star Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods EDGE Justin Hill committed to Alabama over Ohio State on Wednesday. The No. 48 overall prospect and No. 6 EDGE in the On3 Industry Rankings chose the Crimson Tide over Oregon and USC as well.

Ohio State made a large push for Hill throughout his recruitment, which started in March 2023 when the Buckeyes offered him. The Buckeyes had two large moments throughout Hill’s recruitment. The first was in May when Jim Knowles, James Laurinaitis, Larry Johnson and Tim Walton all visited Winton Woods and sat down with Hill to showcase the JACK position and why it would be a thing once he got on campus.

The second big moment was his official visit where it was a full weekend of meetings, clips of the position, time with Laurinaitis seeing linebacker development, time with Johnson on pass rush development and of course, being around commits.

But Alabama was always in main contender to Ohio State. He has ties to the state as he has family that lives there. But it’s more than just family too. He was initially recruited by Nick Saban, but when he retired, Kalen DeBoer’s staff didn’t miss a beat.

“Overwhelmed. I’m overwhelmed with everything,” Emily Herzog, Justin’s mother, told BamaOnLine after the official visit . “They were so hospitable. The love that they showed Justin was amazing. It was great. As you know, I’m a big fan of Bama. They are the standard. They have an amazing facility, they offer the best opportunities for their players.

“Justin really enjoyed the sports medicine and how they keep them healthy,” Herzog continued. “We’ve not seen a program like this at any of the facilities. They are at that next level. That’s something that stood out to him and that he really enjoyed.

“Also, building a bond with them. We’ve established a friendship… just sitting down, conversing, and laughing with them was one of the best parts. Just building this friendship that will forever be, no matter what choice Justin makes. I know he has some true friends that he’s met in this process at Alabama.”

Ohio State recruited Hill specifically for the JACK position and he was the only candidate for that role. The Buckeyes still maintain the top-rated recruiting class in the 2025 cycle.

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