This spring, Alabama's running back competition isn't just about who has the most talent— it's a constant battle where every edge counts. For Daniel Hill, this battle isn't only against returning backs Kevin Riley, AK Dear, and newcomers in highly touted 5-star EJ Crowell and underrated 3-star athlete Tre'shawn Brown. It's against himself and the scale.
Hill has attacked this offseason with purpose — tweaking his diet, ramping up his cardio, and building strength and speed to make sure he's faster, healthier, and more ready than ever to hold his ground as Alabama's starting running back. This course of action comes after Hill already showed flashes of why the Tide coaching staff believes he can be a difference-maker as a sophomore, rushing the ball 75 times for 284 yards and six touchdowns, while adding 28 receptions for 203 yards and a score, but he only averaged 3.7 yards per attempt.
Last season's modest production has pushed Hill to look in the mirror and make a change. That commitment showed early on before the Crimson Tide opened the doors to spring practices, when it was reported on the updated roster that the junior running back shed eight pounds to drop from 244lbs to 236lbs. That change led Hill to tell reporters Monday that he's feeling faster this spring.
Daniel Hill says he feels faster this spring after off season transformation
"I feel good," Hill said. "I feel way, way faster. My body feels better, like the little back injuries, things like that. I'm not having those anymore. I feel better as a whole... I just had to go back and see what I was doing wrong. I had to change the way I was eating, cardio more, and that’s really it. And just keep working at that. That’s something that I felt like I needed to change. The coaches felt like I needed to change, and I committed myself to getting my weight down.”
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer also let it be known on Friday after the Tide's first scrimmage that he too can see the difference in Hill's health from last spring to this spring.
Kalen DeBoer agrees that Hill looks new and improved in 2026.
“Daniel’s (Hill) been consistent,” DeBoer said. “I think he’s taken advantage of just kind of having an offseason to lean up. A year ago, really from the previous ’24 season, he was still dinged up and had to have surgery. We knew it during spring ball, and had to have it after. I think that really went into him not having the offseason he’d probably like and the season that he knows he can improve on and be better than.”
This rebuild has also helped Hill reach newer heights in the weight room, confirming eye-popping reports about his latest monstrous max on squat and his process behind reaching this impressive feat.
Alabama running back Daniel Hill confirmed with media members on Monday that he can squat 805 lbs.
— Jyesha Nance | Owner of @SneeshSports (@JyeNance) March 30, 2026
“I really don't know how to explain it. They threw it on the bar and I did it,” said Hill. pic.twitter.com/OTg3vzk3AD
"Yes, I did do that," Hill proudly said. "And the process, I've always been able to squat a lot I'd say. It just, I don't know, it just happened. I really don't know how to explain. They threw it on the bar and I did it... My max before then was 725, I did that in the 11th grade."
After hearing that and seeing the differences for myself in Hill's build, the Mississippi native now looks like a different player in 2026. This transformation not only makes him faster and more durable, but they also give him the confidence and explosiveness needed to take full advantage of the opportunities in Alabama's crowded backfield. And that dynamic could be a game-changer for the Crimson Tide offense this fall if Hill continues this trajectory, while at the same time holding off talented younger backs in Alabama's stable vying for the same role.