Alabama Building a Strong Foundation Early for 2017 Recruiting Class

Having a player like 5-star Najee Harris, the No. 1 running back in the 2017 class, lead Alabama's 2017 recruiting is never a bad thing. 

Monday's two new additions will make Crimson Tide fans smile, as well as head coach Nick Saban and the rest of his coaching staff.

Alabama landed a top-10 nationally ranked wide receiver in Morton, Mississippi, standout D.D. Bowie, a 4-star target and the No. 1 player from the state of Mississippi, early Monday evening. Minutes later, the Crimson Tide scored their second commitment of the day in 4-star Ellenwood, Georgia, offensive lineman Netori Johnson, the nation's No. 5 offensive guard.

Both athletes committed while in Tuscaloosa at the Alabama camp. Bowie chose the Crimson Tide over offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn and Southern Miss. Johnson picked the Crimson Tide over offers from Auburn, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Illinois, Wake Forest and South Florida.

With three solid pledges to the class, Alabama has a nice jump on many of the other schools in the race for the 2017 team recruiting rankings, which currently has the program No. 4 overall. Alabama is chasing Ohio State, Miami and Florida State and jumped LSU, TCU, Arizona State and Auburn with Monday's additions.

It's a race Alabama is trying to dominate as it continues to make up ground with its 2016 class; the Crimson Tide, after a slow start, are ranked No. 12 in the 2016 rankings.

Bowie's a good-sized receiver at 6'1" and 170 pounds, and his versatility will come in handy at the next level. At Morton High School, Bowie's lined up all over the field. As good of a receiver as he is, he also can benefit a program as a cornerback, safety and special teams player.

Bowie, who ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the camp, told Scout.com's John Garcia Jr. that his decision was more spur of the moment than anything, but it's a decision he's excited about.

"Nick Saban asked me if I really wanted to commit, and I said, 'yes sir,'" Bowie told Garcia. "They gave me the full offer [Monday]. [Defensive line] Coach [Bo] Davis told me I had the offer. I got it with my routes and with my 40."

While Bowie will bring the speed and explosiveness from a skill-position perspective, Johnson will bring power and intensity in the trenches as an offensive lineman. Johnson is a massive lineman at 6'5" and 330 pounds, and he's expected to be a solid contributor at the guard position.

Johnson told 247Sports' Shane Youngblood that his decision was "a no-brainer" because of Alabama's success in producing linemen to the next level. Johnson told Youngblood:

"

As soon as Nick Saban told me I had an offer, I asked him if I could commit, and that's what I did. I came down here with my coaches, not knowing this was going to happen. ... I love the environment and the coaches. They have a very good coaching staff that stayed on me and didn't let me get tired or let me down.

"

Add these two pledges with Harris, a "competitive but humble" dynamo in the backfield, and it's easy to see why the Alabama faithful is feeling strongly about the direction of the program. Harris rushed for nearly 2,300 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore and has drawn early comparisons to jumbo back Derrick Henry.

There's still plenty of time for Alabama to add to its class, but with a 5-star pledge in Harris and the two new 4-star gets, Saban is in a good position to have a class similar to the ones of the recent past. Among the many uncommitted players to keep an eye on are 5-star linebacker Markail Benton, 5-star wide receiver Jeff Thomas, 4-star linebacker Nate McBride and 4-star offensive tackle Austin Troxell.

As good as things are for Alabama now, it could get even better by the summer if it's able to land some of these recruits. That's the plan for Saban and his staff.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles