For seven of the past 10 recruiting cycles (and six in a row), Alabama has landed the top-ranked recruiting class in the Southeastern Conference (per 247Sports Composite rankings).

During that stretch, Florida and LSU also have had the SEC’s No. 1 class. The Gators have done it twice, the Tigers once.

So how do all of these classes, as things currently stand, stack up?

Here’s one man’s attempt at ranking them.


1. Alabama Class of 2008

This was the class that jump-started the Tide’s rise under Nick Saban. Julio Jones, Mark Barron, Courtney Upshaw and Marcell Dareus were among the highlights of a bumper crop of in-state talent Alabama signed this cycle. Mark Ingram, Dont’a Hightower and Terrence Cody were among the out-of-state prospects that highlighted the class.

2. Alabama Class of 2013

Heisman Trophy winning running back Derrick Henry and major contributors to this year’s title run like tight end O.J. Howard, defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, safety Eddie Jackson and defensive end Jonathan Allen all were part of this haul for the Tide, which was coming off two straight national titles when this group arrived.

3. Alabama Class of 2012

Wide receiver Amari Cooper, safety Landon Collins, running back T.J. Yeldon, cornerback Cyrus Jones and linebacker Reggie Ragland were among the stars in this class. Additionally, players like linebacker Denzel Devall, defensive tackle Darren Lake and running back Kenyan Drake have all played a lot of football for the Crimson Tide in recent seasons.

4. Florida Class of 2007

Joe Haden, the Pouncey twins and Ahmad Black were key players during their Gators careers. Cam Newton was part of this class, though he transferred out later and ended up leading Auburn to a national championship. Top to bottom, this class had a big impact on Florida football.

5. Alabama Class of 2015

Calvin Ridley had a freshman All-American type of year this past season as did Minkah Fitzpatrick. Daron Payne was able to get in the mix with the best defensive front in college football as a true freshman and quarterback Blake Barnett, running back Damien Harris, tight end Hale Hentges and offensive linemen like Lester Cotton and Richie Petitbon all have extremely bright futures in Tuscaloosa.

6. Alabama Class of 2014

Cam Robinson has been All-SEC level since arriving on campus and projects to be a very high pick in the NFL Draft. Rashaan Evans, Marlon Humphrey and Tony Brown have shown flashes and when healthy, folks around the Alabama program rave about wide receiver Cameron Sims. Jarran Reed was a big get in this class out of the junior college ranks at defensive end as was offensive lineman Dominick Jackson.

7. Alabama Class of 2011

Safety HaHa Clinton-Dix and linebacker Trey DePriest were two of the top stars in this class, along with offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. Cornerback/returner Christion Jones and safety Vinnie Sunseri were two of the more lower-rated prospects in this haul and both ended up being major contributors.

8. Alabama Class of 2016

This one may end up being much better, but since it is based on 100 percent projection right now, this looks about right. The bottom line is there are plenty of players in this class on the offensive line and on the defensive side of the ball that have the ceiling to get to the NFL. You have to think offensive tackle Jonah Williams, if he can stay healthy, can get there, and linebackers Ben Davis and Lyndell Mack Wilson have the same upside as guys like C.J. Mosley and Reggie Ragland when they were prospects — all linebaclkers from within the state of Alabama.

9. LSU Class of 2009

This class had a lot of star power, but it ended up that guys like linebacker Kevin Minter and defensive end Barkevious Mingo, who were ranked toward the middle of the class, were the difference-makers in this group. Rueben Randle got to the NFL. Russell Shepard and Craig Loston were both good, but not great. Defensive tackle Chris Davenport was a five-star prospect in this class who never played.

10. Florida Class of 2010

On paper, this was considered one of the best classes in the history of modern recruiting coverage. In reality, Sharrif Floyd, Matt Elam and Ronald Powell (when he was healthy) had decent careers and others were solid, but it certainly did not have the type of impact on the Gators program that was expected. This was Urban Meyer’s final full-cycle effort as the head coach at Florida. For numerous reasons, multiple star prospects did not translate to the college level.