National Signing Day 2012: Who's a Better Recruiter, Nick Saban or Urban Meyer?

Nick Saban and Urban Meyer were two of the biggest winners on national signing day and have proven themselves as two of the best recruiters in the entire country.

When Meyer was at Florida, they went head to head, going for the same recruits and it looks like it will be no different with Meyer now at Ohio State.

These two men are likely the best two recruiters in college football and no matter where they are coaching, that program will likely be in contention for the national championship.

But who is the better of the two as far as recruiting goes? 

Here is a breakdown of Nick Saban and Urban Meyer from a recruiting standpoint.

Breaking Down Urban Meyer

Since his arrival at Florida in 2005, Meyer has had one great recruiting class after another.

His initial class at Florida in 2005 was ranked No. 15. After his first full season, he put together the No. 2 class in the country in 2006, headlined by Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes and Tim Tebow.

In 2007, Meyer followed that up with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, led by names like Cam Newton, Carlos Dunlap, Aaron Hernandez and Joe Haden.

In 2008, Meyer once again had a dominant class, coming in at No. 3 overall followed by a 2009 class that was No. 11 overall.

The final class for Meyer at Florida was No. 2 overall and gave Meyer four top-three classes in a five-year span at Florida.

Add those to his No. 4 class this season at Ohio State and you have one of the best college recruiters of all time.

Breaking Down Nick Saban

Nick Saban has coached at a few big-name programs. While at LSU he posted a recruiting class that only ranked No. 15 in 2002. That was certain to never happen again. 

Saban's class in 2003 ranked No.1 overall with players like Dwayne Bowe and Matt Flynn. In 2004, his final class at LSU ranked No. 3, with big names like Glenn Dorsey and Early Doucet.

After a few seasons in the NFL, Saban landed at Alabama and has not missed a beat.

His initial 2007 class at Alabama was No. 10 overall. From that point on, Saban has truly taken off when it comes to recruiting.

The 2008 class was No. 1 with names like Julio Jones and Courtney Upshaw.

The 2009 class was also No. 1 in the country, headlined by Trent Richardson. In 2010, he followed that up with a class that ranked No. 5 and in 2011 he once again had the No. 1 class in the nation.

Add another top class in 2012 and Saban has had the top class four of the past five seasons.

A stat that is simply remarkable.

And the Winner Is...

Nick Saban takes the cake as the best recruiter in college football.

While Urban Meyer consistently put up top-five classes while at Florida and will likely continue to do so at Ohio State, Saban consistently comes away with the No. 1 class in the country year in and year out.

Some may say it is easier to recruit in the SEC and even though it might be, Saban gets the best players in the country every year, giving him a slight edge over Meyer when it comes to recruiting.

Needless to say, any university would be lucky to have either one as their college football head coach.