Alabama Football: 5 Coaches Saban Loves to out-Recruit

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Nick Saban dominates the recruiting world, though I'm certain he enjoys topping some familiar coaches each and every year.

You can bet a smile creeps across his face when those letters of intent hit the fax machine; he know's he's got the best and he loves it when the other guys know it too.

Here are five coaches that Saban just loves to out-recruit, in a very specific order of least to most.

Ratings are based on Rivals.com rankings.

Dabo Swinney, Clemson

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Dabo Swinney is an Alabama man. He attended the school as a member of the football team in the late 80's and early 90's.

He continued his service to the Tide as an assistant coach at the turn of the millennium, but was fired along with then head coach Mike DuBose.

Now he is the head coach of Clemson, who is quickly becoming more of a recruiting rival than South Carolina's Steve Spurrier.

Swinney has a verbal commitment from the nation's top recruit, Robert Nkemdiche, but it's coming with a lot of baggage. Nkemdiche is demanding a lot (via ESPN) and he's not being shy about it.

Swinney will get Nkemdiche, but Nick Saban will still have the better recruiting class not just in 2013, but everything beyond until retirement.

Urban Meyer, Ohio State

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Nick Saban had just taken over at Alabama when Urban Meyer and Florida brought in the nation's No. 1 recruiting class in 2007 (the Tide placed 10th).

After that, Saban ran the table in and even stole the best recruit the state of Florida had to offer, running back Trent Richardson (who went to the same high school as former Gator/NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith).

Saban can be credited with ending Meyer's career at Florida after the famous "Tebow tears" SEC championship game in 2009 and the complete drubbing of the Gators in 2010.

Meyer has not gone as far away from Saban as possible as the coach of Ohio State, but Saban isn't afraid to raid any and all recruiting grounds in the Big 10.

As the new head coach of "the" Ohio State, Meyer isn't even close to Saban's 2013 recruiting class.

Mark Richt, Georgia

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Despite all the troubles with the law that Georgia has experienced in recent years (running back Isaiah Crowell being the most recent), head coach Mark Richt is a good guy.

Richt is a good Christian man that places player development both on the field and in life at the very top of his priorities. He even made a cameo in the religious movie "Facing the Giants."

He's a great guy, so why does Saban love to out-recruit him?

It's because Georgia is a state ripe with talented, SEC-caliber recruits, that's why.

Quarterback/running back Blake Sims, left guard Chance Warmack and Jack linebacker Adrian Hubbard are some guys that Saban recently claimed from the state of Georgia.

Saban is also in the running for linebacker Reuben Foster, a Georgia native, but even if Richt wins Foster's commitment, the Tide will still have the better recruiting class.

Les Miles, LSU

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Les Miles was Saban's successor at LSU, and he has done everything he can to overshadow what Saban did at the school.

He may have done that, but he will never top Saban on the national scene. Not in the college football national championship and not in the recruiting national championship.

Miles has only out-recruited Saban one time: Saban's first year with the Tide.

Miles has first dibs on any and all talent in the state of Louisiana, but Saban regularly raids those grounds.

Running back Eddie Lacy, safety Landon Collins and wideout Kenny Bell are just a few players taken from Miles' backyard, but any LSU fan will tell you that the team didn't want them anyway.

The Alabama/LSU rivalry is the hottest college football has at the moment and that doesn't look to change over the next few years.

Saban just loves to one-up Miles at every turn.