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What does 4-star Justin Hill's commitment to Alabama mean for Ryan Day's Ohio State? Deep dive into Buckeyes' potential alternative defensive plan

High school recruiting is the lifeblood of college football, and at least one analyst thinks Ohio State suffered a crushing blow. Ohio high school linebacker standout Justin Hill committed to Alabama, and OSU recruiting analyst Jeremy Birmingham wasted no time sharing his thoughts on that development on X/Twitter:

In case four-star prospect Hill's importance was somehow undersold, Birmingham doubled down soon thereafter:

The despondency from Birmingham was perhaps surprising, given Ohio State currently has the No. 1 overall recruiting class in the nation for 2025 and returns as one of the nation's top defenses.

What does Justin Hill's Alabama commitment mean for Ohio State?

More on Hill

Justin Hill is a standout edge rusher from Cincinnati's Winton Woods High School. The 6-foot-3 edge rusher is ranked as the No. 60 overall player in the nation by 247sports and the No. 7 national edge rusher, as well as the No. 4 prospect in Ohio.

Hill had taken recent official visits to Ohio State, USC, Alabama and Oregon. Hill seems himself at the jack position, a hybrid defensive end/linebacker who could play in either a 3-4 or a 4-3 look. That seems to have been a bone of contention in his recruitment.

Ohio State's defense

OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has used the jack position in his previous role at Oklahoma State. But at Ohio State, not so much. Right now, Knowles has a pair of outstanding true defensive ends in J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. However, both are arguably too big (269 pounds and 265 pounds, respectively) to drop into coverage as linebackers.

Ohio State was thus stuck trying to sell Hill on his ability to play the jack position without being able to show him how OSU might use him at that position. But meanwhile, the Buckeyes haven't exactly struggled defensively. A year ago, they allowed 11.2 points per game and 265 yards per game. But will OSU still change?

How will OSU adjust?

One thing is for sure – despite Hill's commitment to Alabama, his recruitment is far from over, a point that Birmingham went on to discuss at length on X. Ohio State will continue to recruit Hill and hope to sway him. It is worth noting that Alabama has a new coach in Kalen DeBoer and an entirely new staff under DeBoer. If the Crimson Tide defense struggles, that might help change Hill's mind.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have a choice to make. OSU can try to shift to using the jack position at times in 2024. That will mean taking either Tuimoloau or Sawyer off the field and replacing them with a lesser prospect. Considering the importance of the pass rush in a Big Ten that now includes USC and Oregon, that might not be for the best.

On the other hand, Knowles and OSU coach Ryan Day might stick to their guns. They might continue with a standard 4-2-5 or 4-3 alignment which does not feature a jack. After all, Day and Knowles aren't exactly in their first rodeo. They should be able to figure out how they'd use Hill if and when he arrives.

Meanwhile, the rest of the 2025 class might help that decision. As noted above, Ohio State boasts the nation's top recruiting class. Other edge commits include Alabama high school standout Zion Grady and 6-foot-6 Philadelphia product Zahir Mathis.

Could it be that one or the other will end up filling the vacancy that would have been Hill's? Stranger things have happened.

What do you think Ohio State will do without Justin Hill? Weigh in with your thoughts on the situation in the comments section below.

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