Where Alabama's 2017 recruiting class stands among the most prolific ever

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Rare are storybook beginnings in sports. The narrative demands a hero’s journey, strife and struggle ahead of championship dreams. Not for Alabama’s 2017 class. That group started with a second-and-26 bang, future Heisman finalist Tua Tagovailoa to future Heisman winner DeVonta Smith for a national championship.

Three years later, the 2017 class will have the opportunity to bookend its four-year run with a second national title. The cast of characters isn't quite the same – a different 2017 QB signee and Heisman finalist is under center and a few other notable players have departed – but the potential legacy-defining opportunity will shine on the entire 2017 group.

Not quite yet. But a second national championship and the 2021 NFL Draft could seal that status for one of the most decorated recruiting classes in college football history.

To get a sense of where Alabama’s 2017 group sits in the all-time pantheon of internet-era classes – sorry, no 1953 Oklahoma – 247Sports examined some of the best classes of the past, looking at a couple of factors:

1. National championships won. If a group didn’t win a title within a four-year period of arriving on campus it wasn’t considered.

2. Draft picks using the same scale we do for our development ratings each year (3 points for a 1st round pick, 2 points for a 2nd or 3rd round pick, 1 point for a 4th-7th round pick).

3. Teams also received an additional point for every All-American it had from that class

To clear any confusion, this is not a piece on the highest-ranking recruiting classes of all time as far as the 247Sports Composite is concerned. That honor goes to 2010 Florida, though it's worth noting that Alabama's 2021 class could jump them with a dream National Signing Day in a couple weeks.

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NO. 1 – 2003 USC

Draft Picks: 1st (4), 2nd/3rd (5), 4th-7th (3)
All-Americans: 5
Heisman Winner: Reggie Bush
Four-Year Record: 48-4

Points: 30

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NO. 2 – 2008 ALABAMA

Draft Picks: 1st (5), 2nd/3rd (2), 4th-7th (3)
All-Americans: 6
Heisman Winner: Mark Ingram
Four-Year Record: 48-6

Points: 28

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NO. 3 - 2013 OHIO STATE

Draft Picks: 1st (6), 2nd/3rd (2), 4th-7th (0)
All-Americans: 5
Heisman Winners: N/A (J.T. Barrett had one top-5 finish)
Four-Year Record: 49-6

Points: 27

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NO. 4 — 2013 ALABAMA

Draft Picks: 1st (3), 2nd/3rd (4), 4th-7th (3)
All-Americans: 5
Heisman Winner: Derrick Henry
Four-Year Record: 51-6

Points: 25

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