Alabama lands priority 4-star RB

For the second consecutive recruiting cycle, the Alabama Crimson Tide have signed two priority running back targets.

On Saturday, Meridian (Miss.) High School product Daniel Hill announced on NBC at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio that he’ll be heading to Bama at the next level. Hill already signed his National Letter of Intent during the Early Signing Period last month, but kept it a secret to make his decision public on national TV.

Interview with Hill’s father (On3+): HERE
On3 Analysis of Hill and RB class (On3+): HERE

Hill chose Alabama over a final group that featured Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Mississippi State is the legacy school as Hill’s father, Demetrius, played for the Bulldogs in the 1980s.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Hill told On3’s Sam Spiegelman after his announcement. “Again, I want to thank God for allowing me to get to this opportunity. I’ve been through a lot. Just for me to get back here is a blessing. I want to thank God, again, and thank Alabama’s coaching staff for believing in me.”

Hill joins in-state recruit Kevin Riley as the Tide’s two running backs in the 2024 class. This comes a cycle after Alabama signed top-four running backs Justice Haynes and Richard Young.

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It was an interesting journey for Hill to get to this point.

At one time early on in his recruitment, it seemed inevitable that the four-star running back would be committing to the Crimson Tide. Then, in the spring/summer of last year, confidence started to pick up in favor of South Carolina. The Gamecocks appeared to be in the pole position leading up to his original Aug. 23 commitment date.

Hill delayed that commitment date indefinitely, and made his way back to Tuscaloosa three times during the season. Robert Gillespie visited him at his school the first full week of December, with Nick Saban stopping by to see Hill and his family the following week. Both coaches let Hill know how much of a priority he is for the program during their stops.

“It’s a special feeling,” Hill said of being recruited by Gillespie and Saban. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that not everybody can enjoy. I’m very thankful for that.”

Saturday officially marked a big payoff in Alabama’s longtime pursuit of Daniel Hill.

Saban and his staff dished out an offer to the 6-foot, 235-pound prospect in March 2022. They’ve hosted him on campus at least a dozen times since then, including for his official visit this past June. Bama is also the program that Hill’s father had been in favor of his son choosing from the very beginning.

“I want to be great,” Hill told Spiegelman. “That’s all I ever wanted to be, was great. That’s why I’m so talented at every sport that I do. All I do is put in the work, and I just want to be great. So, going to Alabama is the best place for me.”

Coming up, the nation’s No. 14 running back will be on campus next week as he will be a mid-year enrollee. He’ll join a running back room that currently features Jamarion Miller, Jase McClellan, Justice Haynes, and Richard Young.

Riley is expected to arrive on campus in the summer.

Alabama ESP Review: Unexpected journeys shaped No. 2 class

Alabama officially announced the signings of 23 prospects during the December Early Signing Period. They entered today with the No. 2 overall class in the country, a year after signing arguably one of the greatest recruiting classes in recent memory. Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver commitment Ryan Williams will sign his Letter of Intent on Feb. 9.

The Alabama 2024 Roster Tracker: VIEW HERE

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