Alabama Football: Crimson Tide has the second-best 2021 verbal commit list

Based on average player ratings, Alabama football is No. 2 in 2021 verbal commits

There are numerous ways to measure a signing class. The Alabama football fanbase might consider calming down about the Crimson Tide at No. 23 in the Team Rankings based on the 247Sports Composite.

247Sports uses a proprietary algorithm to calculate the team rankings. Those wanting an incomplete, but very detailed explanation should click here. For fans what matters most is the algorithm’s aggregate, class calculation for their team. That is the one that defines the ranking for each team. Last season’s No. 1 class, the Georgia Bulldogs has a team ranking, point count of 313.34. At No. 2, Alabama football was close behind at 310.44 points.

Looking beyond the annual ‘who has the No. 1 class’ hoopla, there is another data point. It measures a team’s average player rating. A little history using that data point, before turning to the 2021 numbers.

Five-star rated players are those with player rankings from 98-110. Since 2000, five players hit 100, giving them a player rating of 1.000. Those players were Ernie Sims (FSU), Vince Young (Texas), Rashan Gary (Michigan), Robert Nikemdiche (Ole Miss) and Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina).

The highest-rated player in the 2020 class was Clemson’s Bryan Breese at 0.9995. The differences between players are often small. The Crimson Tide’s Bryce Young was right behind Breese at 0.9994. In the 2019 class, Georgia’s Nolan Smith was at the top with a 0.9994 rating. In 2018, Trevor Lawrence was at 0.9999.

Four-star players are rated 90-97; three stars, 80-89; two stars, 70-79. Indicative of the slight margins, the lowest-rated, 3-Star recruit, in the 2021 class is the overall No. 1745 player, with a player rating of 0.7990.

Back to why Alabama football fans should be particularly interested. In the 2020 class, Georgia was No. 1 and the Alabama Crimson Tide was No. 2. However, the Crimson Tide was No. 1 in average player rating at 93.56, followed by Clemson at 93.45, LSU at 93.10 and Georgia at 92.96.

The Alabama Crimson Tide had the No. 1 class in 2019 and the highest average player rating at 94.38. In the evolving 2021 class, Ohio State has the highest average player rating at 95.3. Second to the Buckeyes are the Crimson Tide at 94.35. Clemson is third at 94.32, then Georgia at 94.08 and LSU at 93.33.

The Crimson Tide, currently being at No. 23 in the team rankings is the result of only eight verbal commits. The Tide’s average player rating indicates there is little chance for a recruiting finish outside the top five.

As Nick Saban’s recruiting pitch has evolved, some Tide fans fear he has lost some of his magic. Don’t count on it!