One of Ohio State's top remaining targets in the 2025 class will wear crimson and white next year.
Cincinnati native and Winton Woods High School senior Justin Hill committed to Alabama on Wednesday. He chose the Crimson Tide over Ohio State, Oregon and USC.
BREAKING: Elite 2025 EDGE Justin Hill has Committed to Alabama, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 3, 2024
The 64 225 EDGE from Cincinnati, OH chose the Crimson Tide over Ohio State, Oregon, & USC
Let All Naysayers Knowhttps://t.co/OP5xtJGw1Z pic.twitter.com/27mlSzb7iZ
Since Ohio State offered Hill on March 23, 2023, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, defensive line coach Larry Johnson and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis had made great strides with the four-star edge prospect. Before Hill's official visit to Columbus on May 31, several national recruiting reporters predicted the No. 58 overall prospect to land with the Buckeyes. However, a recent official visit to Alabama sealed Hill's fate as a future Crimson Tide defender.
Hill is Alabama's 22nd commitment in the 2025 class. With his pledge, the Crimson Tide extended their lead over Georgia for the second-best class in America and now contend Ohio State for the top class overall.
As it stands, the Buckeyes also have 22 commitments in 2025, including three five-stars, 16 four-stars and four three-stars. Three of those commitments are defensive ends, Zahir Mathis, Zion Grady and London Merritt, and two are linebackers, Tarvos Alford and Eli Lee.
Looking ahead, four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn set his commitment date for Saturday. The McKinney, Texas, native will choose from a final four of Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and USC.
