Alabama football has dominated the recruiting scene but it's especially impressive the way the Crimson Tide have gotten the most out of the best prospects.
As the most successful program of the century bar none, it's no secret that Alabama football is a recruiting powerhouse, particularly in the Nick Saban era.
The recruiting wins keep coming, but in the end, it's what you do with those highly-rated prospects that matter.
So what about the highest-rated Alabama recruits of all time? Who lived up to the hype and who busted? Let's take a look.
But first, it should be noted edge rusher Keon Keeley from the class of 2023 and wide receiver Ryan Williams from the class of 2025 are technically among the Top 10 Alabama recruits of all-time. However, the latter has not signed and the former has not begun his college career, so they're not on this list.
*All rankings as determined by the 247Sports Composite
No. 10 highest-rated Alabama fooball recruit: OT Cam Robinson (2014)
The best offensive line recruit in the country in 2014 was 6-foot-5, 330-pound Cam Robinson from West Monroe, Louisiana.
But when it came time to commit, Robinson spurned LSU and instead threw in with the Crimson Tide. And that certainly seemed like the fight decision as Robinson found immediate success in Tuscaloosa.
Robinson started every game as a freshman, holding his own at tackle as Alabama went 12-2. The next year, he got himself a national championship ring as a key starter driving Alabama towards their College Football Playoff triumph over Clemson.
In 2016, Robinson was named a captain and earned unanimous All-American honors along with the Outland Trophy.
Robinson essentially accomplished everything he could have hoped for in his three years with the Tide and then left for the NFL. The Jaguars selected him with the 34th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He's still in Jacksonville.
No. 9 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: OT Alex Leatherwood (2017)
In 2017, Alabama boasted the No. 1 class in the country, which should come as no surprise since two of the Top 5 players in that class committed to the Tide and rank among the highest-rated recruits in school history.
Offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood took the No. 4 spot in the class, standing 6-foot-6, 327 pounds. The Florida product went on to play a role in two national championships while grabbing individual national honors along the way.
Leatherwood played in seven games as a freshman, including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia because of an injury to Jonah Williams. The Tide didn't skip a beat with the freshman in at left tackle, beating the Bulldogs for the title.
He moved to guard as a sophomore and started 15 games in 2018. The 2019 season saw a return to the left tackle spot where he made the All-SEC first team.
Even though he could have gone to the NFL, Leatherwood returned for his senior season and was rewarded mightily. He took home the Outland Trophy and unanimous All-American honors while leading the Tide to another national championship.
The Raiders drafted him at No. 17 overall in 2021 but cut him after just one season. He signed with the Bears with hopes of restarting his career in Chicago.
No. 8 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: RB Najee Harris (2017)
Alex Leatherwood wasn't the only elite 2017 recruit to have a massive impact on the history of Alabama football. Running back Najee Harris also matched the hype as a five-star talent out of Antioch, California.
Harris ranked No. 2 overall in the recruiting class, edging out Cam Akers as the top back in the nation. But he had to wait his turn at Alabama as a freshman with Damien harris and Bo Scarbrough ahead of him. Even so, he led the Tide with 64 yards on six carries in the national title win over Georgia. He'd go on to lead them in rushing again in the next championship victory in 2021.
The back steadily improved his rushing totals each year, eclipsing the 1,200-yard mark in 2019 and 2020. He won the Doak Walker Award as a senior.
When all was said and done, Harris finished his four-year career in Tuscaloosa as Alabama's all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry.
The Steelers used the No. 24 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Harris and he's been their leading rusher in the two seasons since.
No. 7 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: QB Brodie Croyle (2001)
Brodie Croyle wasn't just one of the top prospects in the class of 2021. He was an Alabama legacy, the son of John Croyle, an All-American under Bear Bryant. Of course he was going to play for the Crimson Tide, even if Florida State nearly turned his head. He even graduated early to enroll early, which was a practice far rarer then than it is today.
Croyle redshirted in 2001, beginning what would become a roller coaster of a career. He served as a backup in 2002 then watched as Dennis Franchione left for Texas A&M. He prepared for his first season as a starter in 2003 as Mike Price was hired in January and fired in May. Then he played for Mike Shula with a separated shoulder and cracked ribs.
Starting the 2004 season with six touchdowns and no interceptions in the first three games, Croyle suffered an ACL tear and had to miss the rest of the season. He came back in 2005 with a fire in his belly, leading the team to a 10-2 record while setting school records for passing yards.
Croyle landed with the Chiefs in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft but his pro career was also hindered by injury and misfortune. He started 10 games in five years in the league but didn't win a single one.
No. 6 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: DE Eyabi Anoma (2018)
We're living in the era of the transfer portal, so there was bound to be at least one major Alabama recruit who ended up playing somewhere else. Eyabi Anoma, who was the sixth-best recruit in Crimson Tide history, is now wearing Michigan blue and sporting a new name: Eyabi Okie.
Okie was the No. 4 prospect in the class of 2018, anchoring the No. 5 class in the country. He played in six games as a true freshman, logging two tackles for loss and earning SEC All-Freshman honors. But for all his promise on the field, off-the-field issues got in the way.
After one year, Okie was dismissed from Alabama. He landed at Houston where he had to sit out the 2020 season. But the same issues followed. The Cougars dismissed him for a combination of "tardiness, skipping class, clashing with teammates, insubordination, etc," Matt Zenitz of On3 reported.
Okie landed on his feet in FCS with UT Martin before jumping at the opportunity to join the Wolverines in 2022. Three years removed from his last FBS appearance, the defensive end had 6.5 tackles and 4.5 sacks on the season.
Then he transferred again! Okie followed his former high school coach and Michigan assistant Biff Poggi to Charlotte to finish out his college eligibility.
No. 5 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: OT JC Latham (2021)
Alabama locked in the No. 1 recruiting class in 2021 with three of the Top 10 players in the country committing to Nick Saban. The highest-rated of those was offensive tackle JC Lathan out of IMG Academy.
The 6-foot-6, 305-pound lineman jumped into action on special teams and as a reserve offensive lineman in 2021 before winning the starting right tackle job in 2022 as a sophomore. He didn't allow a sack that season, per Pro Football Focus.
Of course, Latham's career still has chapters to be written. He comes into 2023 as one of the top offensive tackles in the country with the potential to earn All-American honors.
So far, Latham has met expectations by taking over as a starter early on in his career. The next step is to emerge on the national scene by living up to expectations for his junior season.
No. 4 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: WR Julio Jones (2008)
Julio Jones was a homegrown prospect from Foley, Alabama with the kind of physical presence even as a high school player to make college coaches' mouths water. Early in Nick Saban's tenure in Tuscaloosa, he was a recruiting gem on which to build a program.
In fact, Saban hadn't managed to snag a truly elite recruit in his first class in 2007. That year, four of the top five recruits in Alabama went to either Auburn or LSU while the Tide's top commit, Kerry Murphy, failed to qualify.
Jones and the 2008 class, which Rivals ranked No. 1 nationally, represented a sharp turnaround for Alabama recruiting
And Jones turned out to be absolutely worth the five-star hype. He broke the Alabama freshman record for touchdown catches with four in just five games and finished with 924 yards.
His 2009 season was a step back in terms of production but the 2010 season proved how dominant the receiver could be. Jones had 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns, including a 12-catch, 221-yard game against Tennessee.
The Falcons selected Jones at No. 6 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft and he went on to multiple first team All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowl nods.
No. 3 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: OT Cyrus Kouandjio (2011)
The only reasons Cyrus Kouandjio wasn't the No. 1 player in the 2011 recruiting class was the presence of Jadeveon Clowney (one of only five players in history to receive a "perfect" rating in the 247Sports composite). So the 6-foot-7, 315-pound behemoth had to settle for No. 2 as he left DeMatha Catholic in Maryland for Tuscaloosa.
His consolation prize? Two national title runs in arguably the most dominant dynasty in college football history.
Kouandjio was a contributor as a freshman before an injury ended his season early, so he had to watch the 2012 championship game from the sidelines. However, he recovered from that injury and emerged as a starter in 2012. He helped power an unstoppable rushing attack that bulldozed through Notre Dame in the 2013 national title game.
The 2013 season brought a consensus All-American nod for Kouandjio before he declared for the NFL Draft.
The rest of Kouandjio's career was tough to get off the ground. He missed out on first round selection, going in the second round instead to the Buffalo Bills. From there he bounced around the league while dealing with a slew of injuries, ultimately retiring from the Canadian Football League in 2021.
No. 2 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: OG Andre Smith (2006)
Andre Smith was an Alabama product out of Birmingham and he fell right into Mike Shula's lap after a 10-win season and Top 10 finish in 2005. Ranked the No. 2 prospect in the class by Scout and Rivals (behind only Florida's Percy Harvin), the 325-pound Mr. Alabama was a must-get for the Tide.
And Smith proved instantly why he was such a coveted recruit. He won the starting left tackle job outright, becoming the third true freshman offensive lineman in Alabama history to start a season opener.
Shula's firing and Saban's hiring in 2007 worked out fine for Smith, who continued to make a name for himself as one of the best linemen in the country. After securing All-SEC honors in 2007, he won unanimous All-American honors in 2008 before declaring for the NFL Draft.
The Bengals drated Smith sixth overall in 2009. He played in Cincinnati for a decade and started 98 games over a 12-year career.
No. 1 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: QB Bryce Young (2020)
Technically Andre Smith and Bryce Young are tied at the top of Alabama's all-time recruiting rankings. The 247Sports composite rating for each is 0.9994. And coincidentally, both were the No. 2 prospect in their class. However, we're giving Young the tiebreaker because the rise of recruiting services put an even more intense microscope on Young's every trait.
Coming out of Southern California power house Mater Dei, Young chose not to follow in the footsteps of Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley and JT Daniels, instead traveling across the country to play for Nick Saban in Alabama.
Young backed up Mac Jones during Alabama's title run in 2020 then got his chance to take the reins in 2021 and never looked back. Thowing for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns as a sophomore, he became the first Tide quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.
Expectations made Young's objectively strong 2022 season feel more muted but he still tossed 32 touchdowns while adding four on the ground as he led Alabama to an 11-2 record.
The Carolina Panthers traded up to take Young No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. We'll have to see where his pro career goes from there.
