OklahomaÕs John Mateer (10) is pressured by AlabamaÕs Yhonzae Pierre (42) in the second half of the College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday Dec. 19, 2025.
Alabama’s edge rushing unit was hit hard this offseason. Along with losing starting Bandit LT Overton to the NFL Draft, the Crimson Tide saw Qua Russaw (Ohio State), Keon Keeley (Notre Dame), Jordan Renaud (Ole Miss) and Noah Carter (Georgia Tech) leave for the transfer portal.
Alabama was able to return its sacks leader while bringing in a few promising pieces of its own. However, the Tide will still have some work to do in reshaping its edge-rushing units over the next few months.
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Before Alabama breaks for spring camp, here’s a look at what the Tide will be working with at its two edge rushing positions.
Projected first-team
Wolf — Yhonzae Pierre
Bandit — Devan Thompkins / Desmond Umeozulu
For the first time in three years, Alabama will start the season with a pass rusher opposing offensive coordinators should lose sleep over. Pierre is that guy for the Tide.
The five-star defender is coming off a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign that saw him lead the team with 8.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss. According to Pro Football Focus, Pierre led Alabama with 45 quarterback pressures last year, almost twice as many as LT Overton, who finished second on the list with 24.
Along with being a lock to retain his first-team role at Alabama’s Wolf position, Pierre is a safe bet to become a first-round NFL draft pick next spring if he can maintain his current production. The biggest question for the Tide is who it will line up across from the 6-foot-3, 248-pound defender at the Bandit position.
That will likely depend on the situation.
Alabama added a pair of versatile defenders from the portal in Southern California transfer Devan Thompkins and South Carolina transfer Desmond Umeozulu. Both players have first-team potential but can be classified as “tweeners” when it comes to pinpointing their position in Alabama’s defense.
Thompkins (6-foot-5, 290 pounds) primarily served as a defensive tackle during his time at USC but also showed the ability to line up outside as a strongside defensive end out of heavier packages.
Overton was listed at 6-foot-5, 278 pounds. While he spent the majority of his snaps lined up outside of the offensive tackle on the defensive line, he offered the flexibility to push inside on passing downs. Thompson would need to shed 10-15 pounds to take on a similar role, but the converted basketball player’s athleticism creates some options for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.
Umeozulu (6-6, 255) is built more like a Wolf but could serve as a pass-rushing Bandit when Alabama wants to work out of lighter packages. Despite playing behind five-star starter Dylan Stewart at South Carolina last season, Umeozulu finished third on the team with 15 quarterback pressures.
Entering his senior season, it’s tough to imagine Alabama pitched Umeozulu on exclusively being Pierre’s backup in his final year of eligibility. With that in mind, expect plenty of looks with both Pierre and Umeozulu on the field at the same time.
Biggest breakout — Justin Hill
The numbers don’t jump off the page. Not yet, anyway.
Despite appearing on defense in all 15 of his games during his debut season last year, Justin Hill only managed 10 stops, including 2.5 for a loss, with a pass breakup. That being said, that production is still better than the numbers Pierre put up in 2024 before his breakout season last year.
Hill took advantage of injuries to Jah-Marien Latham and Que Russaw last season, carving out a reserve role in Alabama’s defense. The 6-foot-3, 242-pound defender played in a season-high 44 defensive snaps during the Tide’s SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia and saw the field for 22 defensive snaps during the Rose Bowl defeat to Indiana. According to PFF, he finished his freshman season with 218 defensive snaps while earning a solid 70.9 grade.
When Qua Russaw transferred to Ohio State, the assumption was that decision was based heavily on his inability to beat out Pierre for the starting Wolf role. Given the promise Hill displayed late in the season, it’s possible the sophomore could have moved up the depth chart this offseason even if Russaw had remained with the team.
Either way, Hill enters the spring as the firm No. 2 behind Pierre at Alabama’s Wolf role. While his first-team reps might be limited this fall, don’t be surprised if we’re talking about Hill as one of the key pieces of the Tide’s defense at this time next year.
Biggest question — Will Alabama’s pass rush take the next step?
Alabama tied for 69th nationally with 1.92 sacks per game during the 2024 season. The Tide improved that average to 2.20 sacks per game last season, moving up to 54th. If Alabama is going to reach its full potential this fall, Wommack will need his pass rush to take an even bigger step this year.
Despite Alabama’s offseason departures, Alabama is still in a position to improve its ability to get to the quarterback. If Pierre can continue to perform like a future first-rounder while players such as Hill and Umeozulu continue to develop, the Tide could form one of the most feared units in the SEC.
Tony Tsoukalas is a staff writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with more than a dozen years of sports writing experience. Tsoukalas, a graduate of Alabama, has covered the Crimson Tide since 2016, previously working for the Anniston Star, Bama Central and Rivals. He won first place in the 2024 Associated Press Sports Editors contest in the Division D Beat Writing category. Along with team coverage, Tsoukalas provides a weekly column featuring his take on Alabama athletics. Follow him on X at Tony_Tsoukalas