Alabama EDGE Yhonzae Pierre may finally have some help following the emergence of a pair of pass rushers in spring camp
A pair of Alabama pass rushers including a second year standout and transfer portal addition are making waves in Tuscaloosa.
One of the major downfalls of the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2025 was the lack of pass rush. Qua Russaw dealt with injury, LT Overton regressed, and the young players didn’t make the jump or show the splashes that Alabama had hoped.
By the end of the season, it was clear that Yhonzae Pierre was the best pass rusher on the team, and his decision to forego the NFL Draft and stay another year was a major win for Alabama. Now it’s about building around him, and Alabama may have found a pair of EDGEs to do just that.
Justin Hill is turning heads in spring ball
“Justin Hill, as an outside linebacker or defensive end, had another good, good spring,” DeBoer said via the Alabama Crimson Tide YouTube channel. Hill is a hybrid player who can play stacked backer or come down to the EDGE of the defense and show his pass-rush prowess.
Primarily a special teamer in 2025, he could be in line to earn the starting spot opposite of Pierre, but there is another name, and a new face in Tuscaloosa who is garnering a lot of praise from the coaching staff.
Alabama impressed with transfer EDGE Desmond Umeozulu
“It was really fortunate for us to get Desmond Umeozulu,” DC Kane Wommack said of the South Carolina transfer. A tad bigger and more of a traditional EDGE player as a WOLF in Wommack’s 4-2-5 SWARM, Umeozulu is the more experienced of the two, and that’s showing up in spring ball.
“I have been going against them all for a while,” standout LT Jackson Lloyd said about the challenge of facing Alabama’s pass rushers in practice. “They are all great pass rushers. Dez [Umeozulu] coming in … He has been good. He’s giving me a good look.”
It’s rather obvious that Alabama will have to have two premier pass rushers if they want to make noise in the SEC and improve their standing in the CFP. A good pass rush duo is like a strong bullpen in baseball; you ride it to championships, which is always the goal in Tuscaloosa.
