With National Signing Day 2025 in the rear-view mirror, there’s absolutely no standing-on ceremony. Nearsightedness is a cardinal sin in this sport, and focus has swiftly pivoted over to the class of ‘26. Coaches are hitting the road for off-campus visits. Parallely, recruits are reciprocating the efforts with on-campus ones. Now, being an athlete from Akron, Ohio, means the bar is set pretty high. LeBron James will perpetually remain the best ever from his hometown. However, the no. 1 prospect in the state of Ohio for ‘26 also happens to be the no. 1 ranked player nationally in his position group as per 247Sports’ Composite ranking. At least that’s a start, eh?
Cornerbacks are more important in this era of football than any previous one. The game continues moving towards a more passing style, and personnel across the secondary are now hot commodities. Naturally, being the best corner in the country means every blueblood is vying for Archbishop Hoban’s Elbert Hill. A fascinating development is underway in Hill’s recruiting process. You’d think Ohio State would be all over this in-state kid. You wouldn’t be wrong, with On3’s RPM giving the Buckeyes an 80.8% chance to land Elbert Hill. However, if there’s one color more enticing than the scarlet and grey, it’s crimson. Alabama is trending towards getting a commitment out of Hill eventually. His dad’s words and his own actions back this up.
Elbert Hill is yet to announce his official visits. That said, he’s been to Tuscaloosa and visited campus thrice. His latest visit to Bama came over this weekend. Hill even got to see day 1 of spring practice on Monday. His father spoke to Andrew Bone of On3 and made it very clear both he and Elbert’s mother have Alabama atop their hierarchy of landing spots. “Mom likes Alabama a whole lot,” he said. “We’ve been on a lot of visits, and she always says, ‘This isn’t Alabama.’ I definitely like Alabama a lot as well, but the decision is ultimately up to [Elbert Hill]. We are big on Alabama, though.” Hill Sr. also spoke glowingly of the person who’s one of the key reasons for this pull towards Tuscaloosa.
I’ll be in Tuscaloosa march 3rd @CoachMoLinguist @KalenDeBoer pic.twitter.com/tGco5CCN1x
— Elbert Hill (@Rockk114) February 26, 2025
“Coach Mo is a man I want my son to be around when I’m not present,” Hill’s father said. That would be defensive backs coach Mo Linguist, who’s made visits to Akron and seen the family at their house. “We talked for two hours, just me and him. We talked about life experiences and really everything but football. When my son came home, we were with him for another two hours,” said the father. Linguist actually didn’t offer Elbert Hill instantly and made the player prove his worth in camp. Which he did in the presence of HC Kalen DeBoer. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though.
Even with all this baked in, it would’ve been borderline delusional for Mo Linguist and Kalen DeBoer to think the process would be straightforward. It never is with the prospect of this ilk. The road to Tuscaloosa isn’t linear and does have roadblocks. A mix of schools are circling around for Elbert Hill. The aforementioned Andrew Bone even reports, “An early commitment is not in the cards despite the high interest in the Tide.” He name-dropped 3 schools that Bama will have particular trouble fending off.
Three B1G schools pose a threat to Alabama for Elbert Hill
Ohio State has just lost defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to fellow B1G members Penn State. Knowles had his fingerprints all over their success last season. The Buckeyes boasted the best defense in the sport. The most prominent aspect was indeed the secondary, featuring Caleb Downs at safety. Now that Knowles has departed, the direction for the pass defense is rendered inconspicuous by a cloud of uncertainty. Matt Patricia, the replacement, is more than capable of picking up the slack seamlessly. Knowles wasn’t a very active recruiter either. However, this upheaval lends to Elbert Hill being deterred from Ohio State after them initially leading the race. Yet, you cannot count them out.
Another team in the fray is Oregon. That Phil Knight-Nike connection out west sure is attractive from an NIL perspective. Not to mention, they just won the B1G, and Dan Lanning has them playing some great football. Elbert Hill’s father did, however, say the decision won’t be driven by NIL. Thirdly, the newly recharged USC Trojans are a concern for Bama. USC has the No. 1 class in the country for ‘26, and adding Hill shall only take it up a notch.
“He’s not going to rush the decision,” Hill’s father said. “This is a big decision to make. He knows wherever he goes it will require hard work. He’s not going to jump in the portal if he’s not starting right away. He wants to make sure he is making the right decision because he wants it to be the only decision for the next four years.”
A couple of years ago, Bama probably would’ve secured this with much ease. Nick Saban’s departure does bring about some parity in the playing field. A huge summer beckons for Elbert Hill, who’ll announce his OVs soon.
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