Bessemer City 4 star DL sets commitment date, announces Top 5

Bessemer City 2026 defensive lineman, Emanuel Ruffin has announced a top five and a July 4th Commitment Date.

Ruffin is a four-star prospect, who has Alabama, Georgia,  LSU, Ohio State and Texas in his top five. 

The Crimson Tide are set to host him on the weekend of June 20. 

“Alabama is talking really good,” Ruffin told Touchdown Alabama. “I am basically 30 minutes away. I always thought of being the hometown hero. They are really good at producing defensive linemen at a high rate. They laid out a potential plan of me being a three-technique defensive tackle or a nose tackle.”

Georgia is another program standing out to the Bessemer City product. 

“Georgia is D-LINE U,” said Ruffin. “They produce some of the best defensive linemen yearly. That played a crucial role in why they are in my top five.”

Ruffin likes the competitive culture in Baton Rouge as he will be taking an official visit to LSU this weekend.

“LSU loves to compete,” said Ruffin. “Everything with the Tigers is about working hard and competing. Coach Williams (LSU defensive line coach) is my dog. He loves my versatility. They talked about using me as a three-technique or potentially sliding down to nose tackle.”

The Ohio State Buckeyes hosted Ruffin for an official visit over the weekend, and he came away very intrigued by the staff.

“It is a dream place,” Ruffin said. “It is a place I can go get developed and coached by one of the best defensive line coaches.”

Ruffin’s Ohio State visit was also a success. 

“I really liked it. It was a very fun place to visit. The facilities were amazing and the atmosphere was great. They also have great food out there.”

The sense of urgency and focus at Texas really stand out to Ruffin.

“Texas is a very focused unit,” Ruffin shared. “They practiced like non-other, and they were very disciplined.”

One of these programs will snagged the talented defensive lineman.