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Alabama visits top-ranked 2026 CB Elbert Hill

hunterby:Hunter Shelton•about 11 hours•

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Elbert Hill 3 copy 1.jpg

Coaching staffs from around the nation are making their way to Akron, Ohio to visit the top-ranked cornerback in the 2026 cycle, Elbert Hill.

The Archbishop Hoban star is feeling the love from plenty of top programs, including Alabama. On Monday, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer and defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist stopped by to visit Hill:

Hill has been eyeing a return trip to Tuscaloosa after visiting for their big win over Georgia during the 2024 season. The staff has made a positive impression on the 5-foot-10.5, 170-pounder to this point in his recruitment.

“We talked to those guys quite a few times before we got there,” Hill’s father, Elbert III, told On3’s Steve Wiltfong earlier this month. “Just the relationship with Coach Mo (Linguist) and Courtney Morgan and (Kalen) DeBoer. They’ve done a great job recruiting him.”

That fall visit to T-Town really kickstarted things between the Hill camp and the Tide. There’s been consistent contact kept since then and the SEC program continues to stand out as the spring nears.

“When we got down there it was just a good time,” the elder Hill said. “We got a chance to really talk to the coaches and everybody and it was crazy because we went down there for the Georgia-Alabama game. It was chaotic but they still found time to bring us in the office and talk to us and give us a description and plan and vision they have for him if he were to choose to come there.”

Oregon defensive backs coach Chris Hampton and Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore have also been by Hoban this month and Penn State is expected this week, too. Everyone is looking to grab Hill’s attention as he works through his process.

Hill is the No. 17 overall prospect and top-ranked CB in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 1 player in Ohio.

Alabama currently has just one commitment in its 2026 class in Gadsden (Ala.) City four-star CB Zyan Gibson, the No. 69 overall recruit and No. 6 corner in the cycle. The Tide signed three blue-chip defensive backs in the 2025 cycle: Mission Viejo (Calif.) five-star CB Dijon Lee, Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange four-star safety Ivan Taylor and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star CB Chuck McDonald.