Alabama Football Recruiting: The Good and Bad from National Signing Day

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Head coach Nick Saban pulled off possibly the best recruiting class since he has arrived at Alabama in helping the Crimson Tide come away with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

The Crimson Tide are quickly turning into a powerhouse when it comes to the recruiting trail and have joined Kentucky basketball as the kings of college recruiting.

Alabama came away yesterday with three 5-star recruits and 14 4-stars, according to Rivals.com. It edged out Texas for the No. 1 recruiting class and it is nearly impossible to find any negatives in the class.

Here is the good and the bad from national signing day for Alabama.

Good: No. 1 Recruiting Class in the Nation

Nothing is better than coming away with the No. 1 class, particularly in a conference that is always filled with talent.

It is clear Alabama has more of that talent than any other SEC team.

Leading the way in this year's class is running back T.J. Yeldon. He is rated the No. 2 running back in the country by Rivals.com and is the No. 12 overall player in the country.

He will help fill the void left by Trent Richardson.

Other 5-star recruits like Landon Collins and Eddie Williams also rank in the top 25 overall.

Good: 17 Recruits in Top 250

No team had more recruits in the Rivals.com top 250 than the 17 Alabama boasted yesterday on signing day.

The Crimson Tide had all the positions covered, including two of the top six wide receivers and two of the top 13 running backs.

Among the 17 recruits who were 4-stars or higher included 10 players on the defensive side of the ball.

One thing is certain; this group is deep and talented from top to bottom. 

Good: Landon Collins and Korren Kirven Signatures

Not even Landon Collins' mom could convince him to switch to LSU. Maybe it was the national championship domination by Alabama that helped her change her mind.

Collins is the No. 2 safety in the country and the No. 17 player overall. Without Collins, the Alabama class may only be ranked No. 2.

The Crimson Tide also received a slight surprise yesterday when defensive tackle Korren Kirven chose them over Virginia Tech and Tennessee.

The signature of Kirven was one of the lone surprises on signing day for Alabama.

Bad: Losing out on Eddie Goldman

Going into yesterday, defensive tackle Eddie Goldman was one of the top players in the country who was still undecided.

Goldman is rated the No. 2 defensive tackle in the class and the No. 7 player overall.

His final three choices were Auburn, Florida State and Alabama. Goldman chose Florida State over the two SEC schools.

Getting Goldman would have been a little icing on the cake for the Crimson Tide.

Bad: Loss of 3-Star Recruits

Alabama lost three 3-star recruits whom they had previous verbals from.

While a 3-star recruit is nothing special for Alabama, this is one of the only negatives from the class.

Running back Justin Taylor chose Kentucky over Alabama, and defensive lineman Darius Philon picked Arkansas. Both were offered gray shirts with Alabama and would not have played for a few years.

Wide receiver Casey Gladney was committed to Alabama, but chose Texas Tech instead.

Even though these guys would not have made a huge difference, Alabama did lose two of the three to fellow SEC schools.