College coaches never get done filling positional needs with new recruits.

As soon as the team stockpiles, say, a cadre of talented young cornerbacks and quarterbacks, the once-tremendous depth at running back and defensive line vanishes. So yes, even Alabama, the consensus No. 1 recruiting team for what seems like a gazillion consecutive years, faces pressing needs.

After evaluating the current roster and projecting the Tide’s on-field needs in ’16 and ’17, here are Alabama’s top three positions of priority for the current recruiting cycle.

RUNNING BACK

Losing after 2015: Derrick Henry (probably), Kenyan Drake

Assuming Henry enters the 2016 NFL draft (he’s a potential first-round pick at running back), the Tide depth chart at the position will look something like this:

Bo Scarbrough (recovered from torn ACL)
Damien Harris (true sophomore)
DeSherrius Flowers (true sophomore)
Ronnie Clark (DB/RB)/Buddy Pell (walk-on)/Hamilton Phillips (walk-on)/Lawrence Erekosima (walk-on)

That leaves very little experience and even less depth. As if Alabama needed any extra ammo to reel in a pair of four- or five-star running backs, the team can sell immediate playing time like it hasn’t been able to do in years.

The other issue: currently there are two five-star running backs. In the entire 2016 recruiting class. And they’re both already committed to other schools. The top-rated Alabama running back, Denzel Mitchell, already has committed to Ole Miss.

It’s difficult to imagine Bama going the JUCO route for a back, and there doesn’t appear to be many exciting prospects there either.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Losing after 2015: A’Shawn Robinson (probably), Jonathan Allen (maybe), Jarran Reed, D.J. Pettway, Darren Lake, Stephen Hodge, Bernel Jones

The strength of the defense — and maybe the entire team — in ’15? Depth at defensive line. But the NFL could come calling early for Robinson and Allen, which would leave Alabama with just one defensive linemen from its entire two-deep: backup end Dalvin Tomlinson.

Sophomore Da’Shawn Hand and incoming freshman Daron Payne should become cornerstone pieces of the unit in ’16, but the Tide needs to replenish its defensive line reserves for ’16 and ’17.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Losing after 2015: Denzel Devall, Ryan Anderson (maybe), Dillon Lee

Another position that could get raided early by the NFL, the Tide could lose three of its top four players here ahead of the 2016 season.

Other than developing its pristine on-paper talent in the secondary, pass rush is the biggest element this defense has missed in the last few seasons.

Recruiting three-down players in the front seven is great. The Tide stops the run first and foremost, and that’s a good thing. But other teams with more versatile schemes and more specialized players sometimes have an advantage by putting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Whether or not Anderson returns in ’16, Alabama would like to add some athleticism and potential pass rush at outside linebacker.

Other positions Bama should target: S, G, TE, LT, KR/PR

CURRENT RECRUITING CLASS

By this time last year, most recruiting services already were prepared to call Alabama the No. 1 class of 2015. Not so much this recruiting cycle, as several SEC teams potentially could upend the Tide in the rankings.

To this point the team has secured eight hard commitments. Four of the top five are linemen, including the nation’s No. 4 and No. 7-ranked guards.

It’s still very early, and many of the Tide’s top targets have yet to commit.

ALABAMA NOT YET ON TRACK TO FILL NEEDS

Of the eight current commitments, just one — three-star defensive tackle Raekwon Davis — plays running back, defensive line or outside linebacker.

Davis, at 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, offers a mammoth body, but isn’t anything akin to closing out on one of the team’s needs.

The good news? A pair of five-star outside linebackers in Lyndell Wilson and Ben Davis, the top-rated players in the state, are good bets to land in Tuscaloosa, along with fellow in-state four-star Jeremiah Moon. There’s a strong possibility the team hits a home run in addressing its need at outside linebacker.

The scarcity of touted running backs in the ’16 class makes that position tough. Perhaps Alabama can flip one of the already-committed players mentioned earlier, or get creative with a transfer or a player already on the Tide roster at another position.

Defensive line talent is abundant in today’s recruiting cycles, and there’s plenty to go around for the best SEC teams. As long as Alabama does its usual due diligence at the position, it shouldn’t present a problem.

OUTLOOK

Nick Saban has moved back toward the “we’ve got to play with a chip on our shoulder” mantra for the 2015 Alabama team. It’s a fair assumption to imagine him selling the ’16 class the same rhetoric.

“The dynamics have changed,” Saban said, according to ESPN.com. “Just like with Barrett (Jones). All those guys came here because they wanted to play at Alabama and wanted to prove something. They were willing to do whatever the process was to be successful. They just wanted to buy in and do whatever we needed to do to do it.

“But as we’ve had more success, guys come here now — and this is not necessarily a bad thing — but in some ways for what Alabama can do for them.”

The Tide has managed to stay on top of college football pretty much since ’09, but many people doubt the run will last at the same feverish level for much longer. Saban seems driven by that notion, as if it’s the last challenge of his career.

He doesn’t want his program to taper like Bobby Bowden’s or Joe Paterno’s during their final seasons, so don’t expect a change in the approach or effort that has landed Alabama consistent No. 1 recruiting classes.