Going into the 2026 offseason, Daniel Hill had a question to answer. At 244 pounds, he was one of the bigger backs in college football. And while that size made him nearly impossible to bring down one-on-one, it also put a ceiling on what he could do in space. So going into the spring, Hill made a deliberate choice: he dropped eight pounds and came back to Tuscaloosa at 236, lighter, more explosive, and, as the internet just found out, stronger than ever.

A news story started making rounds on Sunday that, per a TikTok live session, Daniel Hill squatted 805 pounds. He confirmed during the stream that he had hit that number about a week and a half earlier. 805 pounds is not a number you see posted by many people in any weight room anywhere, let alone by a college running back who simultaneously lost eight pounds to get faster. The combination is almost contradictory on paper. He is lighter, but pulling more weight than most NFL linemen would ever attempt. 

To understand what that means for 2026, you have to go back to where Hill came from. He grew up in Meridian, Mississippi, where he was a state champion in track. He won both the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles at Meridian High School. He also modeled his entire game after Derrick Henry, the bring-the-hammer, wear-you-down-and-then-explode style of running.

In a June 2025 interview, he laid out his ambitions: “I want to be remembered as the most physical back in the country. I want to be somebody who can get all the tough yards, the fourth-and-ones, all that. I want to be able to do that for my team.” 

Last season, Kalen DeBoer started to see exactly that player emerge in the second half of the year. After the Tennessee game, where Hill scored the game-sealing touchdown, DeBoer was effusive.

“Daniel, I think, had the hot hand in the second half for sure. He’s getting healthier here, and it was really good to see him out there picking it up for us.” 

By season’s end, he had refined that assessment into a more permanent player.

“Daniel Hill is a guy we’re getting more and more comfortable with,” DeBoer said. “He’s a big back, but I think he’s deceiving when it comes to what he does from a skillset standpoint because he can catch the ball out of the backfield.”

Heading into spring practice, Hill enters as the clear frontrunner to start at running back for Alabama. Behind him, Kevin Riley returns after posting 222 yards and two scores, AK Dear brings 140 yards and three touchdowns, and five-star early enrollee EJ Crowell is already being mentioned as someone who could push for carries as a freshman. But nobody walking into Tuscaloosa this spring carries the combination of experience, trust from the coaching staff, and a pre-spring résumé that includes an 805-pound squat.

Not only Hill, but many more can step up because Alabama’s 2026 roster experienced a huge change recently regarding players’ weights. The Crimson Tide is getting ready to realize its title hopes this season, following the historic 2025 CFP run that didn’t bring the ultimate crown.

Alabama’s 2026 roster is loaded with weight

With spring practice kicking off, Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama has seen a significant physical transformation. Ahead of the 2026 campaign, not only do the returns show a roster that has been hard at work in the weight room, but several freshmen and transfer additions do.

Interestingly, sixteen of the 22 early enrollees recorded double-digit weight differences compared to their recruiting profiles. Among them, one notable is DL JR Howard. He has gained a remarkable 40 pounds since signing, from 245 to 285. On the flip side, other defensive standouts like Zyan Gibson, Mhari Johnson, and Xavier Griffin also posted 20-plus-pound increases.

But that’s not all, because RB EJ Crowell now checks in at 221 pounds, which is 16 pounds heavier than his recruiting profile. Then, Cederian Morgan has emerged as the heaviest WR on the roster at 223 pounds, while TE Mack Sutter (+19) and OL Tyrell Miller (+17) also made substantial jumps. On top of that, Bama’s transfer portal additions have experienced just as much change.

Devan Thompkins increased his weight from 285 to 298 pounds, matching the gain of Desmond Umeozulu, who went from 240 to 253 pounds. But the most intriguing fact is that, like Hill, newcomer OT Nick Brooks, DL Terrance Green, and some others dropped pounds from their previous playing weights. Just like that, Alabama seems ready to put up a tough battle. Now we will see how their season unfolds.