After the class of Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith, Alabama has set the bar high on big-time receiver groups in a given recruiting class. This year’s signees come to Tuscaloosa with a similar level of hype.

But the Class of 2021 receivers have generally bigger frames to them than previous pass catchers to come through Alabama in recent years. During a visit with Josh Pate of Late Kick, coach Nick Saban explains how Alabama focused its recruiting efforts with these receivers.

“We always want to recruit the best players that are available in the cycle,” Saban said. “The year that we got Smitty, Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy all in the same class, we thought that those guys were all really special. We feel like some of the guys we got this year could be really special. But it’s all going to be about how they develop.”

Saban added that he thinks the newcomers have opportunities to contribute because of departures to the NFL and graduation.

“It really wasn’t a conscious effort to get a different type of player,” Saban said. “I think receivers are a little bit like basketball teams. You can have a power forward that’s a great player, you can have a point guard that’s a great player, you can have a shooting guard that’s a great player. They’re all a little different skillset but they all can impact your team and help your team be successful if they’re dominant at their position. It’s not a certain type of guy, but it’s a combination of the guys that you get and I thought we got a really good combination of guys this year.”

Alabama, in fact, landed four of the top 10 receivers in the country, according to 247Sports.