In college football, nothing builds a winner faster than winning. It’s all simple: if you want to be a national powerhouse, just keep winning. For Alabama, the wins have come in droves since Nick Saban took over the program. It’s not just on the field, where the Crimson Tide have won three national titles and three SEC championships since 2008; Alabama is an annual contender for the recruiting national championship as well.

In 2008, Saban’s second year in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide rose from mediocrity to a 12-0 regular season. The preceding winter, the Tide hauled in No. 3 recruiting class in the nation, up from No. 13 a year prior. Since then, Alabama hasn’t finished lower than No. 5 in the recruiting rankings, including winning the last four recruiting championships.

The reasons for recruits to sign on with Saban and the Crimson Tide are obvious and numerous. Alabama has one of the most successful programs in all of college football, with 15 national titles and another 28 SEC crowns. Paul “Bear” Bryant is a god-like name in the South, and Saban is entering that legendary coaching stratosphere with each conference title. The draw of playing for a historically great program is strong; it’s why programs like Michigan and Southern California don’t stay down for long.

In recent years, Alabama has a proven track record of sending players to the NFL as well. While the majority of college football players are in school to get their degree above all else, the high school elite are looking at colleges to see who can advance their career the farthest. The 2014 NFL season opened with 36 former Crimson Tide players on its rosters, which rose to 42 by year’s end.

The chance to play for championships is tough to turn down as well. Alabama opens every season near the top of the polls, setting it up to contend for titles annually. If you’re going to play ball in college, why not do so with the best of the best if the opportunity presents itself?

There’s a flip side to all of Alabama’s stellar recruiting, though. When a player signs on as part of the top class in the nation, he’s naturally going to have competition amongst his classmates. There are also the years and years of top-rated recruiting classes ahead of those players on the roster, too. Sometimes, even the most talented players get squeezed out because there’s simply too much talent on hand.

That’s led to players transferring, like Dee Hart or Alvin Kamara. It’s led to five-star prospects like Chris Black being unable to find the field. Of course, Alabama’s reserves are as good as many team’s starting lineups in the Group of Five, something that not many programs can boost.

There is the reverse, though. While some players transfer out in order to get playing time,  there are others that relish the competition. These are the best football players in the country, and most have no problem fighting for a spot on the field.

With less than a week to go until NSD, Alabama is once again in line to finish at the top of the recruiting rankings. With five straight top-ranked classes, it’s hard to imagine them not contending for another playoff spot in 2015.