Ad Disclosure
We’re inside of 24 hours until ink hits paper in college football, the most important day of the offseason in the SEC as touted prep seniors sign binding letters of intent. National Signing Day has become a February spectacle we’re all interested in as football fiends, one that breeds anticipation at every major program in the country.
RELATED: Announcement times for the SEC’s top uncommitted prospects
Can the Crimson Tide do it again? Alabama is in the midst of an historic recruiting run, and in the final stretch it looks as if Nick Saban and his staff will lock up their fifth straight recruiting national title.
Last week, the Tide suffered a rare string of recruiting defections, losing three commits and missing out on a prospect to LSU as a result. Still, Alabama’s 2015 class appears to be a case of the rich getting richer.
As it stands heading into National Signing Day, the Crimson Tide are set to bring in the most five-star players in the country and have as many of them, six, as any three SEC schools combined.
Alabama is addressing positions of need, too. Already in school are two four-star safeties, who should help replace departing starters Landon Collins and Nick Perry. For the second straight year, Alabama’s recruited two five-star corners, and with the addition of Mel Tucker to coach the secondary, Alabama should be fearsome against the pass going forward. There’s good balance in this class as well, with 10 offensive commits and 12 defensive commits. The six five-stars are split evenly between offense and defense.
While Alabama is doing just fine on the home front, having locked up five of the top 10 players in Alabama, 11 states are represented in the 2015 class, including five-star prospects from as far as California and New Jersey.
Alabama 2015 recruiting class
- National Rank: 1
- SEC Rank: 1
- No. of Commitments: 23
- No. of Commitments by Rating: 6 five-stars, 13 four-stars, 4 three-stars
Top incoming offensive players: Five-star WR Calvin Ridley, five-star QB Blake Barnett, five-star RB Damien Harris
Top incoming defensive players: Five-star CB Kendall Sheffield, five-star DT Daron Payne, five-star CB Minkah Fitzpatrick
Primary remaining targets: Five-star DE CeCe Jefferson, four-star WR K.J. Hill
Best-case scenario: With the chances of losing members of this class low, Alabama needs to get everyone enrolled in time for fall practices. Landing Jefferson is a long-shot, but bringing in him and Hill would be icing on the cake and secure the top spot in the recruiting rankings while simultaneously keeping the two players away from SEC rivals.
Verbal commits
- Calvin Ridley WR, five-star
- Kendall Sheffield, CB, five-star
- Daron Payne, DT, five-star
- Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB, five-star
- Damien Harris, RB, five-star
- Lester Cotton, OG, four-star
- Richie Petitbon, OG, four-star
- Mekhi Brown, DE, four-star
- Hale Hentges, TE, four-star
- Shawn Burgess-Becker, ATH, four-star
- Adonis Thomas, LB, four-star
- Anfernee Jennings, DE, four-star
- Joshua McMillon, LB, four-star
- Christian Bell, DE, three-star
- Keaton Anderson, LB, three-star
- Matt Womack, OT, three-star
Current class
- Blake Barnett, QB, five-star (early enrollee)
- Deionte Thompson, S, four-star (early enrollee)
- Desherrius Flowers, RB, four-star (early enrollee)
- Ronnie Harrison, S, four-star (early enrollee)
- Dallas Warmack, OG, four-star (early enrollee)
- Brandon Kennedy, OG, four-star (early enrollee)
- Jonathan Taylor, DT, three-star (JUCO, early enrollee)
Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s references to recruiting rankings are to the 247Sports.com industry composite ranking.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
