Alabama may have won only one of the last four national championships, but Nick Saban and company are completely unstoppable at winning the recruiting crown.
247Sports on Wednesday proclaimed the Crimson Tide its recruiting national champion for the seventh consecutive year, inking a class that checks in only behind 2010 Florida as the best overall class since the launch of the platform. (In fairness, that class did not work out so well for the Gators.)
“For all the people who ask if recruiting really matters, gawk at Alabama’s string of No. 1 classes and its dynastic team success under Nick Saban and you’ll have your answer,” 247 scouting director Barton Simmons said Wednesday.
Alabama tied the record for six 5-star recruits, landing No. 1 running back Najee Harris, No. 1 dual-threat quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, No. 1 offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood and No. 2 outside linebacker Dylan Moses as well as 5-stars Jerry Jeudy and LaBryan Ray. In addition to those half-dozen 5-stars, Alabama also collected 18 4-stars among its 29 total signatures.
For his part, Saban actually seemed... pleased.
Nick Saban is in a good mood today. Signing a historic recruiting class will put you in a good frame of mind, I'd imagine.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) February 1, 2017
Nick Saban: Our coaching staff did a phenomenal job in evaluation and developing relationships.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) February 1, 2017
Rivals also gave Alabama its recruiting crown, with its 3,433 total points edging out Ohio State’s 3,078. The rest of the top 10 was rounded out by Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, USC, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and Texas A&M.
Since Nick Saban‘s first season in Tuscaloosa in 2007, Alabama has won eight of Rivals’ 10 team titles. The only two times they’ve failed to finish on top since that first year, ‘Bama ended up second to USC in 2015 and fifth in 2010.
That first season under Saban? The Crimson Tide finished 11th.