The rich get richer in college football.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who is known as one of the best recruiters and coaches in the history of college football, has again won the recruiting national championship by fielding a 2013 class that may arguably be one of the best recruiting classes in the modern history of college football.
Alabama’s 2013 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 by nearly every recruiting service.
Ratings agencies like Rivals and ESPN scored Alabama’s class as one of the best ever. Recruiting guru Tom Lemming, 24/7 Sports, SBNation, and MaxPreps all ranked Alabama’s class as the best. It was the fifth time in sixth years Alabama has won the Rivals.com recruiting title.
“Signing day is the culmination of a lot of hard work,” Saban said, before acknowledging that it isn’t “about rankings.”
Saban said, “When you buy a stock today, you can’t tell where it will be two years from now.”
But Saban has historically turned his top recruits into champions.
Alabama won its second straight BCS national championship and third title in the last four years when the demolished Notre Dame 42-14 in the title game.
Alabama signed four of the country’s top running backs. Alabama signed Derrick Henry, Tyren Jones, Alvin Kamara, and Altee Tenpenny. They will join Alabama running backs T.J. Yeldon, Dee Hart, Jalston Fowler, and Kenyan Drake in what may be the most loaded backfield in college football. Kamara’s signature elevated Alabama to a consensus No. 1 National Signing Day ranking across all ratings agencies.
Saban downplayed the signees and said any good team needed at least three great running backs.
“I don’t see how we have a stacked group at running back,” Saban said. “We have one guy returning who rushed for 1.000 yards.”
Alabama also signed defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson’s, defensive lineman Dee Liner, and
Tight end O.J. Howard, wide receiver Robert Foster, defensive end Jonathan Allen, and linebacker Reuben Foster. They were all covered recruits considered to be among the best at their respective positions.
Saban obsesses and is relentless about recruiting, and that is how he has won four national championships in a decade (Saban won one with LSU and it has been said Les Miles’ title with LSU in 2007 was won with Saban’s players). When Alabama beat Notre Dame to give Saban his fourth title in the ten years, he joined college football’s coaching pantheon with legendary coaches Bear Bryant, of Alabama, John McKay, of USC, and Frank Leahy, of Notre Dame.
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