Alabama Adds 4-Star Defensive Lineman to 2023 Class

Getty INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 10: The Alabama Crimson Tide players take the field against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022.

Once again the Alabama Crimson Tide have made a splash in the recruitment department, adding another four-star to their top ranked 2023 class. Edric Hill, the Tide’s second defensive line commit, is from Kansas City, Missouri. According to 247 Sports, Hill is currently the seventh best player in the state of Missouri and the 27th in his position nationwide. 

Up until his commitment to the Tide, he had received 23 offers while only taking three official visits to Alabama, Louisiana State and Southern California. He also took unofficial visits to Nebraska, Oklahoma and Iowa in July of this year. Hill is currently listed at six feet and three inches tall, weighing in at 290 pounds. He is not the tallest defensive lineman in the class, but he outweighs the other, Hunter Osborne, by a full 30 pounds.

Hill’s Recruitment Was Important for Many Reasons

Following his offer from Alabama after visiting for a game last November, Hill decided to visit a second time unofficially in July of 2022. His primary recruiter was Alabama’s Defensive line coach, Freddie Roach, who has helped bring in four five-stars since joining the Tide in February of 2020. 

The other players Roach has been responsible for recruiting are Damon Payne in the class of 2021, Jeremiah Alexander in the class of 2022, Jahlil Hurley and Tony Mitchell both in the class of 2023. Before the move to Alabama, Roach worked alongside the defensive line at rival Ole Miss over the last three seasons. 

Receiving another commitment from a defensive lineman of Hill’s caliber is paramount for the Tide going forward. Head Coach Nick Saban is known to have legendary defensive lines, that are arguably the best in the nation. Some recents stars were Jonathan Allen of the Washington Commanders, Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets, and Raekwon Davis of the Miami Dolphins. 

Even if Hill is not ready to be a starter as soon as he arrives on campus, he will be molded into a talent that is bound to see the light of day in the National Football League. The built by Bama process is not exclusive to just lineman as Saban has had 106 players drafted since arriving in Tuscaloosa in January of 2007. 

The Tide Recruited Heavily This Summer

Hill is now the fifth recruit to commit to the Crimson Tide in the month of August, following Raymond Pulido, Miles McVay, Ty Lockwood and Hunter Osborne. All but one of these five athletes are four-stars, the other being Pulido a three-star. 

With the addition of Hill, the Tide now have 21 commits in the class of 2023. According to 247 Sports, the Tide have their work cut out for them as there are still 41 players listed as offered by Alabama but not yet committed to a school. 

With the regular season steadfast approaching, recruitment is likely to die down a bit until athletes begin taking official visits during game weekends. The Tide will begin their season at home against the Utah State Aggies on September 3, 2022.