Alabama Football: Early signing period for 2020 class an overall success

It was a big day for Alabama football recruiting with multiple stars signing. Just how big was this win for the Crimson Tide?

There has been a ton of success with Alabama football recruiting in the past decade. Nick Saban has always carried enough pull to bring in a top recruiting class in the country. Even with his track record, there were questions as to whether or not he could keep it up.

With three of his former coordinators recruiting against him at top schools in neighboring states, Clemson and LSU at the top of the college football world and bigger schools around the country staying relevant, the cards were stacked against the Crimson Tide. You also add in the fact that Alabama is coming off of its most disappointing season since 2010 and a junior class expected to leave for the NFL, this class had to hit. It’s too early to know for certain, but I think it has.

The Tide had plenty of recruits committed to sign in December, so the first matter of business was to avoid any late flips from stars. Some players were more likely than others, but the Tide held their own down for all intents and purposes. They were also in the running to land some late flips, including former Oklahoma commit Jase McClellan. Things like this help the Tide and hurt future competitors, which doubles the power of the commitment.

Another key to signing days is seeing what other teams are doing. You can’t get all the top players, and they have to go somewhere.

Although a few top players chose against the Tide, they still did things that helped the Tide overall. Jordan Burch choosing South Carolina over Clemson was a major win for the Tide. Rakim Jarrett was expected to go to LSU, but he inevitably decided to go to Maryland. Although these moves don’t make Alabama stronger, it made their top competition weaker.

Alabama might still not have the best recruiting class of the year, but it was more than enough to continue the trend of talent going to Tuscaloosa. They’ll still need to be developed, but this is an overall win for the Crimson Tide.