Alabama gets top recruiting class

Posted: Wed Feb 6 5:54 PM

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Wide receiver Julio Jones is one of three five-star recruits heading to the University of Alabama, giving the Crimson Tide the number one recruiting class in the nation, according to rivals.com.

Despite limping to a 7-6 record in 2007, which included an Independence Bowl win over Colorado, Alabama has signed a total of 32 recruits, 22 of which are rated four-stars or higher.

Head coach Nick Saban also signed 6-foot-7, 285-pound offensive lineman Tyler Love as well as four-star rated quarterback Star Jackson from Lake Worth, Florida.

Despite a trying season which saw the Fighting Irish go 3-9 under Charlie Weis, Notre Dame was able to garner 23 recruits. Among the cream of the crop were a trio of five-star selections: quarterback Dayne Crist from Sherman Oaks, California, wideout Michael Floyd of Saint Paul, Minnesota along with top-ranked tight end Kyle Rudolph out of Cincinnati.

The third-ranked recruiting class in the nation belongs to Florida, which welcomed 22 new players, 16 of which are four stars or better. Wide receiver Carl Moore, outside linebacker Matt Patchan and defensive tackle Omar Hunter each gained five stars.

Miami-Florida and Oklahoma round out the top five. The Hurricanes gained 33 commitments, two of which are five-stars and 15 are four-stars. They once again drew heavily from their own backyard, as 12 came from Miami proper and nearly 20 from south Florida.

The Sooners brought in 21 signees. Three, including defensive end R.J. Washington of Keller, Texas, are five-star and 12 are four-star.

Georgia, Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan and USC, down from third a year ago, round out the top 10. 2007 BCS National Champion LSU was ranked 11th, with two five-star names and 11 four stars.

One big name not signing anywhere on Wednesday was star quarterback and number-one overall prospect Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette Senior High School, near Pittsburgh. He surprised everyone by putting off an official declaration, despite being highly sought-after by Big Ten schools Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, as well as Oregon.