We’re inside of 24 hours until ink hits paper in college football, the most important day of the offseason in the SEC as touted prep seniors sign binding letters of intent. National Signing Day has become a February spectacle we’re all interested in as football fiends, one that breeds anticipation at every major program in the country. Here’s a look at where Alabama stands on the eve of signing day.

Nick Saban once famously groused that participating in the BCS national title game cost him two weeks of recruiting. Small wonder what he’ll say this summer, after Alabama played an extra week into January to win another national title, this time in the College Football Playoff.

It’s the whining of a spoiled rich kid, sure, but Alabama’s run of success since 2008 has been founded on Nick Saban’s undisputed acumen as a recruiter, as the parade of five-star athletes on display in January will tell you quickly. Some Alabama fans were probably aghast when they looked up the Tide’s 2016 recruiting class and found it rated only fifth in the nation, and third in the SEC.

Saban & Co. are closing quickly on the eve of National Signing Day, and there is a substantial possibility of a big jump once the letters start rolling in. Bama has done much of its work up front, with highly-rated offensive and defensive linemen either already enrolled or already firmly committed to Tuscaloosa.

A particular area of interest Wednesday may be with two five-star linebackers, in Ben Davis and Lyndell Wilson. Both are in-state prospects — Davis is from Gordo and a UA legacy, while Wilson is from Montgomery — and Alabama is at or near the top of the list for both. But it’s a crowded list, and there is some thought that some SEC rivals might lure them away this week.

Bama did get big news Monday, as cornerback Nigel Knott announced he was committing to UA. That news was accompanied by some bad news, as three-star linebacker Riley Cole announced he was decommitting, after UA reportedly asked him to grayshirt.

ALABAMA 2015 RECRUITING CLASS
National Rank: 5
SEC Rank: 3
No. of Commitments: 10
No. of Commitments by Rating: 7 four-stars, 3 three-stars

Top incoming offensive players: Five-star OT Jonah Williams, Four-star OT Charles Baldwin, Four-star OG Chris Owens, Four-star QB Jalen Hurts, Four-star RB BJ Emmons

Top incoming defensive players: Four-star CB Nigel Knott, Four-star Raekwon Davis, Four-star DT Kendell Jones, Four-star DT Quinnen Williams

Primary remaining targets: Five-star LB Ben Davis, Five-star LB Lyndell Wilson

Best-case scenario: A series of commitments from all four of the five-star defensive players on its list of targets — Davis, Wilson and DTs Rashan Gary and Derrick Brown — is unlikely, but landing the two top LBs is a possibility. Both are in-state prospects, and the UA staff has put in the groundwork.

VERBAL COMMITS
Four-star RB B.J. Emmons
Four-star CB Nigel Knotts
Four-star DT Raekwon Davis
Four-star DT Kendell Jones
Four-star ATH Trevon Diggs
Four-star DT Quinnen Williams
Four-star OG Deonte Brown
Three-star WR Tyler Simmons
Three-star S Joshua Perry

CURRENT CLASS
Five-star OT Jonah Williams (early enrollee)
Four-star OT Charles Baldwin (early enrollee)
Four-star QB Jalen Hurts (early enrollee)
Four-star OG Chris Owens (early enrollee)
Three-star TE Miller Forristal (early enrollee)
Three-star WR T.J. Simmons (early enrollee)
Three-star ATH Shawn Jennings (early enrollee)

Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s references to recruiting rankings are to the 247Sports.com industry composite ranking.