Just walking through the door, Da'Shawn Hand had an instant impact on the high school weight room in northern Virginia.

In town for spring break, Alabama's defensive lineman just wanted a quick workout. From a distance, coach John Harris caught a glimpse of a freshman.

"And his eyes lit up almost like he saw a mythical figure," said Harris, a mentor and former high school coach of Hand's who remembers him at that age.

Back home in the Washington D.C. suburbs, Hand is the returning hero who traveled south following the college football dream. He left that area four years ago as the nation's No. 1 overall recruit in Rivals' rankings.

For three years, Hand's been a part of arguably the best defense in the country. He just hasn't been the centerpiece that such lofty recruiting rankings would've probably dictated. Seven of the top-10 recruits in that class went pro early -- a group that includes projected No. 1 pick Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers and Leonard Fournette.

None of that seems to matter much to Hand, a defensive lineman that had a much different path to this point. By the end of the month, he will have shared time with four NFL draft picks. A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed were second-rounders last year while Jonathan Allen will go in the first this year followed by Dalvin Tomlinson.

In three seasons, Hand has yet to start a game on the crowded Alabama defensive line. He's been a key backup who played important roles in certain games.

Production, however, has yet to meet those No. 1-recruit expectations.

Hand called his first three Alabama seasons "humbling."

"I was just riding the wave," Hand said this week. "I just kept chopping at the wood, and now's my time."

Tackles have totaled 44, of which 11 were for losses including six sacks. At Arkansas last year, Hand forced the fumble that Tim Williams scooped and ran 23 yards for a touchdown.

Even as his recruiting-class peers rose to national prominence, Hand said he never considered leaving Alabama.

"Not at all. It's all a mindset," Hand said. "I'm a competitor, so I just like to compete. When it was my time to go, I just had to suit up and go. So, just like now, it's my time to showcase what I can do as a starter, so that's what I plan on doing."

Back in Virginia, Harris said he never saw frustration for his former star player. There weren't any broken recruiting promises about playing time, he said.

"I don't think it was stressful for him because he never really read his own press," Harris said. "So, he didn't come in with that mentality. For him, he really believes he was part of something special with those teams, but now he wants to create something like that where he's the leader. He feels like all of that stuff happened for a reason. Being around guys like A'Shawn (Robinson) and Jonathan (Allen), those are things he's supposed to go through."

It's not uncommon for highly-touted players to work their way through crowded depth charts at Alabama, either. Reuben Foster, a can't-miss five-star recruit in 2012, wasn't a starter until his junior season. Reggie Ragland was in a similar situation.

So was Rashaan Evans, a five-star linebacker who signed the same year as Hand. It took a positional change to middle linebacker and an ACL injury to Shaun Dion Hamilton before entering the starting rotation late last season.

Harris said Hand knew the deal when he chose the Tide over Michigan in what was considered a surprising commitment in 2013.

"He even said it to me," Harris said. "There are guys redshirting that he really believes would start in some places. When that's the case, no matter what your high school ranking is, you have to come in and prove yourself and I think he's done a good job of doing that."

The path has cleared for Hand in his final Alabama season. Tomlinson and Allen graduated from last year's starting defensive line. Hand struggled with quantifying how eager he is for September.

"How hungry am I? Whoo. Whooooo," Hand said incredulously. "To be honest, man, I don't even know how to answer that question. That's how hungry I am. It's immeasurable, for real. We're all very hungry."

Back when he committed, the 6-foot-4 Hand weighed in at 254 pounds. He's up to 285 pounds these days. Still, the trimmer, more athletic defensive lineman was and remains the future of the position with fast-paced offenses requiring more versatility up front. Hand saw a healthy number of snaps against Clemson in each of the last two title games. Of his four tackles in the victorious 2016 game, two were made in the backfield.

Alabama tight end Miller Forristall quickly identified Hand as the toughest defensive lineman to block this spring.

"He's really strong," Forristall said. "I think he's improved a lot as a player. I think he's going to be a force to be reckoned with, in my opinion."

Watching from home, Hand's old high school defensive line coach can see the evolution of his game since arriving in Tuscaloosa.

"In high school, nobody thought about coming off the ball faster than him," Harris said. "But you can see he didn't come off the ball as fast as he wanted to earlier in his career. You look at him now, he's flying off the football."

There's also a value for Hand's engaging personality. The graduation of Allen and Tomlinson leaves a void in the veteran leadership up front. It's quickly obvious from talking to Hand that being the old guy suits him well helping the next crop.

Hand's making an impression on the kids back in Virginia too. That spring break trip to the high school weight room was more than an encounter with a local celebrity.

"It makes it a little bit easier to believe in what's going on to see a kid like him," Harris said, "come home and lift weights in your gym and things like that."

To those high school players, Hand is a three-time SEC champion with one national title ring.

Now he has an opportunity for more, this time with his stamp on the product.