It made substantial inroads back into MS, prime recruiting territory that had yielded very little to Saban and his staff in the past three years.
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In 2007, Nick Saban signed 0 five stars and only 10 four stars. Before, Georgia was his top choice.
Helped by two players who made last-minute decisions, the Trojans had the nation’s No. 9 recruiting class, based on a consensus of the top four most popular recruiting websites.
The Crimson Tide and coach Nick Saban closed with a flourish on Wednesday during national signing day, receiving letters of intent from several top prospects, including linebackers Ben Davis and Lyndell “Mack” Wilson.
Rivals.com, 247Sports Composite and Scout.com all tabbed the Crimson Tide’s class as the nation’s best while ESPN.com slotted the Tide at No. 2 behind Florida State.
Mike Farrell, the national recruiting director for Rivals, said he wouldn’t be surprised to see other schools stage similar signing day events.
The Crimson Tide had their second Heisman Trophy victor in 2015, and so we might all need to watch out for Damien Harris or someone else in 2017, because Trent Richardson had more yards and touchdowns in 2011 than Heisman victor Mark Ingram had in 2009. As an Alabama legacy, many believed him to be a lock to the Tide, and on Wednesday, that became a reality as Davis chose ‘Bama over Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, as well as others. Usually turning a player from Houston is no big deal, but Cleveland can play.
It evened out, though; Alabama stole a recruit away from Florida’s commitment list. Last years biggest gets were 5 star Calvin Ridley and 4 star Blake Barnett. Davis’ father, Wayne Davis, is Alabama’s all-time leading tackler.
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Alabama shot a blistering 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) in the first half; however, the Tide committed a total of 10 turnovers. Safety Nigel Warrior and junior-college defensive end Jonathan Kongbo – two of Tennessee’s highest-rated recruits – didn’t finalize their college decisions until Wednesday. I think each year you may close them all. The Bulldogs led by as many as seven, but Alabama rallied back, tying the game 65-65 at the 1:43 mark on a layup by Coleman. Texas got Fowler to switch from LSU and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott to flip from MI. Hardman’s press conference setup included a table that featured six cakes topped with banners of different schools. The four-star safety released a video on Bleacher Report of him skydiving, landing and opening up his jump suit to reveal and Ole Miss T-shirt. Once he hit ground, he opened his jacket to reveal a T-shirt with “Hotty Toddy”, a frequent Ole Miss cheer.
