Alabama getting 'special, special player' in Wolf signee Justin Hill

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama could lose several edge defenders this offseason, making the Wolf and Bandit positions key for the 2025 recruiting cycle. First-year head coach Kalen DeBoer was thrilled with the lone Wolf target the Crimson Tide was able to sign, Justin Hill.

“This guy is special,” said DeBoer on Day 1 of the Early Signing Period.

Hill is a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker from Cincinnati who was among the top 100 prospects in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. The Winton Woods star was rated as the 54 overall player this cycle, the No. 5 edge rusher and the No. 3 player in Ohio.

Hill earned first-team All-Ohio honors and was named the Division II District Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. As a junior that season, he tallied 16 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Hill chose Alabama over the in-state Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida, Oregon and USC.

“Justin Hill is a special, special player, and this is a place that he and his family love, first of all,” DeBoer said. “So there was a little special connection that way. They loved Alabama football. Just from an athleticism, explosiveness, playmaking standpoint, you can see his film, and you can see what we see and how special he is. 

“But then you dive in deeper and you find out that this guy is someone who’s just passionate about being a great teammate, a great leader. He cares about what it feels like. 

“His season coming to an end – and I can remember it vividly – about that impact it had on him. He knew he was going to go on to play football, but there’s a lot of teammates that weren’t and how bad he felt. That just says a lot about the character. 

“He’s an extremely hard worker. So we’re excited about what he’s going to bring from a dynamic standpoint to that Wolf position.”

Alabama is losing two players from its Wolf linebacker room, with Que Robinson exhausting his eligibility and Keanu Koht entering the transfer portal. That leaves the Tide with four scholarship players currently on the roster, and all four are either first- or second-year players.

Hill gives the room a fifth and should push for playing time next fall. He’ll enroll early and learn from his lead recruiter, Christian Robinson, who DeBoer praised for his recruiting efforts.

“Christian Robinson did an amazing job, along with the rest of our staff,” DeBoer said. “But Christian Robinson really heading that up in his recruitment. The relationship is extremely tight, but I think it’s the vision of our defense combined with what he does that’s a great fit for us. Who he is, as well.”

DeBoer on JUCO edge Kevonte Henry

Alabama signed two junior college transfers as part of its 2025 class, Kevonte Henry and Steve Mboumoua. Both could play the Bandit position in Kane Wommack’s defense, but Henry could play Wolf, as well. Listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he has a similar frame to Hill.

The Los Angeles native initially signed with Oklahoma out of high school before transferring to Cerritos College, where he totaled 43 tackles as a sophomore, including a team-high 7.5 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. DeBoer said Henry was a player he and the coaches who followed him from Washington have known since his early JUCO days out on the West Coast. 

“Kevonte was a guy that, again, knew him out of high school and so knew what he was all about,” DeBoer said. “Just went to a junior college that we were very well aware of. And, again, all these guys you’re looking at the background, talking with people and understanding the character and really who these guys are. 

“And, again, having a starting point with Kevonte and knowing what his frame looked like and then following through and seeing the film that he’s put out and just the explosiveness he can bring with the big body out on the edge. 

“His get-off and he just does so many things well. Great person, great young man. And so just really excited about what he will do and add to that room. He’s got some experience with football beyond high school years, as well.”

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