Alabama closes out 2023 cycle with No. 1 recruiting class

After last year’s February Signing Period, Texas A&M was the talk of the college football recruiting world as the Aggies signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the modern era.

During the offseason, Alabama head coach Nick Saban sparked a firestorm when he chided Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher for “buying” the Aggies’ top-ranked class. The topic of the offseason became how Alabama wasn’t competitive in the NIL space, how Saban couldn’t keep up in the new world of college football recruiting, and how his time as the sport’s elite closer had come and passed.

A year has passed since then, and Alabama has finished with yet another No. 1 recruiting class, signing a total of seven five-star prospects and bringing in the third-highest rated group of all time in the On3 Consensus, only behind that infamous Texas A&M class and Saban’s 2021 class.

Alabama locked things up in December

During the Early Signing Period alone, Alabama signed as many five-stars as Texas, USC, and Miami have in the entire cycle. Their three-day haul eliminated any questions about who would be crowned No. 1 this year.

The class features 14 top-100 prospects in the On3 Consensus and 26 blue-chippers altogether, and it rivals the that 2021 class, which was considered to be the best in recruiting history prior to Texas A&M’s run last year.

Saban’s latest crop includes the No. 1 and No. 4 safety, No. 1 and No. 4 EDGEs and No. 1 offensive tackle this cycle, along with the No. 2 cornerback, two of the top four running backs, the No. 3 defensive lineman and linebacker, and the top junior college player in the country in wideout Malik Benson.

Along the way, they beat out every other major program in the country and the SEC, yet again showing that Saban still has plenty in the tank as college football’s best coach ever.