Once Again, College Football Should Never Count Out Nick Saban and Alabama

This was as good a time as any to doubt Alabama, so I did. Just 22 days after the engineer of this magnificent machine reinvented himself in the national championship, I questioned whether Nick Saban could pull it off once again.

After five consecutive recruiting national championships, this was the year that Alabama’s stranglehold on the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class would be loosened. I just knew it. It was time.

Heading into national signing day, Alabama had an exquisite collection of recruits lined up—the kind of class of which most ravenous fanbases only dream. There were gifted players out there still to land, too.

Still, with work to be done, a recruiting national championship felt unlikely. A top-five or even top-three class seemed reasonable. But No. 1? Not this year.

So heading into signing day, I wrote as such. I was foolish.

“In the end,” I scribed, unaware that I would issue an apology only days later, “Alabama likely will have to settle for (sigh) a deep class loaded with prospects and finish somewhere around the top three in the team rankings.”

At the time, this didn’t seem like an outlandish proclamation. It seemed safe. This was going to be an exceptional group, but not the most exceptional group.

I felt good about this prediction—just like I felt good about predicting Alabama would win the national championship less than a month earlier. It simply didn’t seem like the streak could possibly continue—plain and simple.

Then national signing day came. One after the next, Inevitability sat down next to me on my sofa, grabbed all of my food out of the fridge, placed it down on my family room coffee table and ate every last morsel while smiling at my failed prophecy.

The commitments poured in, per usual: a 4-star here, a 5-star there. Oh, look, another 5-star. And sure, another 4-star to cap it all off.

Instead of securing the No. 1 class in October or November, Alabama waited until the waning hours of the final day.

It did precisely what it has done each and every year since 2011. Fresh off another national championship, Alabama finished with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite team rankings.

Rank	Team	5-Stars	4-Stars	3-Stars
1.	Alabama	3	14	7
2.	Florida State	1	17	7
3.	LSU	2	16	6
4.	Ohio State	1	17	7
5.	Michigan	1	14	14
6.	Ole Miss	3	12	9
7.	Georgia	3	10	7
8.	USC	2	12	5
9.	Auburn	1	11	9
10.	Clemson	1	12	7

So I suppose this is that apology I alluded to earlier—not that Saban demands one.

Wearing a blue sport coat and a crimson tie, the architect of this class introduced his exciting new pieces once all the commitments had been received on Wednesday. 

There was no champagne. There were no on-campus celebrities or red carpets. There was no live stream to showcase every nonexistent Saban fist pump. This was business as usual.

It wasn’t so much a celebration as a familiar yearly gathering. Even the local media in attendance has grown accustomed to this day. Having sat in the same seats before and listened to the same vocal victory lap, the process was restored.

“Perception doesn’t win any games for us around here,” Saban told reporters. “But good players do.”

The push for the No. 1 class on February 3 began with Shyheim Carter—the nation’s No. 9 cornerback who committed not long after the day began. Jared Mayden, the No. 13 corner in this class, later joined him.

In between those commitments, Saban hauled in his first 5-star of the day. Ben Davis, the top inside linebacker in this class and a legacy recruit, announced his pledge on national television.

The rise was taking shape, although it needed one final push. That push came when the nation’s No. 2 outside linebacker, Lyndell “Mack” Wilson, announced his commitment to the school.

“We thought they were outstanding players,” Saban said of his new linebackers. “Very athletic guys. Both of ’em can run. They’re instinctive players, and the goal for us is going to be to teach those guys as much as we can as soon as we can, because this is a position where we’ve had lots of guys in the past contribute as freshmen.”

That was the tipping point. The No. 1 class was theirs.

But staying true to form, Alabama did not stop there. With the day winding down, defensive lineman Terrell Hall— the No. 6 weak-side defensive end in the class—announced he was headed to Tuscaloosa. This was the cherry on top.

Saban’s latest creation leapfrogged LSU and Ohio State—two teams many, including myself, gave the inside track for finishing with the No. 1 class in 2016.

It withstood a violent push from Florida State. Jimbo Fisher commandeered the top spot earlier in the day, only to surrender it hours later.

It overcame strong, flashy signing-day showings from Michigan and Ole Miss. The Wolverines secured the commitment from the best overall player in the class—defensive tackle Rashan Gary. The Rebels landed Deontay Anderson, the No. 2 safety in 2016, after he announced his decision by skydiving.

But there was Alabama—college football’s Rock of Gibraltar. In reality, there was always Alabama. Signing day’s most immovable force simply changed the pace. Just as he did three weeks ago, Saban unleashed a new winning blueprint.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Like a jockey patiently sitting off the pace, waiting to unleash his horse on the home stretch at the appropriate moment, Alabama conquered the college football world for the second time in as many months.

Nothing should surprise when it comes to Alabama and recruiting. It’s the closest thing the sport has to an assembly line.

Still, it’s hard not marvel at how this all came together. And now a roster already unfairly packed with talent in all areas has more pieces to play with.

Since the streak began in 2011, Alabama has landed 113 players with at least a 4-star grade. Many of these players still have yet to receive meaningful playing time. The favorite to repeat next season will have a dashing new influx of resources at its disposal.

The machine isn’t just fully operational; it’s stronger than it has ever been.

For a while, that didn’t look like it would be the case. I told you otherwise. I told you the streak was ending. I told you the crown would no longer reside in Tuscaloosa.

I suppose I should’ve known better. Even with such a minute margin for error, Alabama managed to keep a fascinating streak alive—one that is not celebrated with a trophy, banner or rings. That part comes next.  

Perhaps 2017 is the year Alabama’s run of recruiting dominance will finally end. Perhaps this year’s most capable athletes will finally stare wide-eyed at this roster bulging with star power and decide to take their talents elsewhere.

That is a reasonable thesis to have as Alabama embarks on yet another recruiting cycle. Let me know how that goes.

Adam Kramer covers college football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @KegsnEggs. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.