Alabama's week is off to a good start as DeMarcco Hellams committed to the Crimson Tide on Monday night, he announced during his official visit to Tuscaloosa.

The Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic product chose Bama over several other programs like Clemson, Maryland, and Virginia Tech, among others.

“I loved the environment that is created by the players and coaches of accountability, and a culture that is built on developing boys to be young men," Hellams told BamaOnLine after he took an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa back in March. The practice was fast, fast, fast movement everywhere up tempo, no time wasted, and people during their job.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley is the lead recruiter for the elite athlete. He spent time with Locksley and Saban his last time down to campus.

“It was a great conversation about how the culture of Alabama is what makes them winners,” Hellams said. “How Alabama can develop me as a player and help me grow as a young man, and the tradition of winning and how the players holding each other accountable and competing makes everyone better.”

The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Hellams is the No. 4 safety and the No. 92 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

The East Coast native is commitment No. 15 for the Tide in the 2019 cycle, strengthening its lead atop the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.

Hellams' pledge is commitment No. 12 for the Crimson Tide in just over two months. On April 5, both four-star defensive lineman Rashad Cheney and four-star quarterback Paul Tyson got the ball rolling and committed to the Tide. What followed after that was a run of commitments in the 2019 class, and even one in the 2020 class from four-star receiver Dazalin Worsham.

Hellams is the third defensive back commitment in the class joining four-star cornerback Christian Williams and four-star athlete (recruited at safety) Brandon Turnage.

We've seen Maryland become a hotbed for the Tide staff, especially with the addition of Locksley, in recent cycles. Last December, Alabama signed five-star defensive end Eyabi Anoma out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. The Tide turned back to the East Coast powerhouse and landed four-star inside linebacker Shane Lee earlier this spring (a part of the Tide's run of recruiting momentum).

The Tide's 2019 recruiting cycle feels like the polar opposite of 2018. This time last year, the Tide was sitting outside the top 50 of the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings with a lot of questions unanswered. That's not the case this year as the Bama staff has take an aggressive approach in the process filling a number of needs prior to the start of the summer. Expect Alabama to continue to keep its foot on the gas throughout the summer into the fall.