The 2016 version of National Signing Day is in the books, meaning it\u2019s time to take a way-too-early gauge on the latest recruiting classes.<\/p>\n\n
Alabama finished with the No. 1 class<\/a> according to 247Sports team rankings<\/a>, which has been the norm this decade. The Crimson Tide added more depth to a team that will defend the national championship next season.<\/p>\n\n
MORE: Where are Top 25 players going<\/a> | Jump start on 2017<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Alabama wasn\u2019t the only winner on the recruiting trail. Here\u2019s a look at the biggest winners and losers from National Signing Day.<\/p>\n","rank":0,"number":0,"image_url":"","image_source":"","image_caption":"","image_credit":"","type":"cover"},{"image_id":"435213","title":"Winner: Alabama","description":"
The Crimson Tide finished with the No. 1 class in 247Sports team rankings for the sixth consecutive season with a late flurry that included landing in-state five-star linebackers Ben Davis<\/a> and Lyndell “Mack” Wilson<\/a>. Adding five-star defensive end Terrell Hunt simply replenishes a front seven that continues to be the source of Nick Saban’s dominance in Tuscaloosa. The recruiting run might be more impressive than the four national championships.<\/p>\n\n
The Volunteers had a quiet day compared to last season, when they hauled in a top-five class. This year the Volunteers ranked No. 14, which isn’t bad, but it’s behind Georgia (No. 7) and Florida (No. 13). The Bulldogs had a particularly strong showing under first-year coach Kirby Smart by reeling in five-star athlete Mecole Hardman Jr.<\/a> to go with fellow five-star skill position players Jacob Eason and Isaac Nauta. That puts even more pressure on the Vols to break through in 2016.<\/p>\n","rank":2,"number":2,"image_url":"http:\/\/images.performgroup.com\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/a\/fc\/butch-jones-020416-getty-ftr_t2y8awx4etam11xg802ah51de.jpg?t=-1392906550","image_source":"\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/a\/fc\/butch-jones-020416-getty-ftr_t2y8awx4etam11xg802ah51de.jpg?t=-1392906550","image_caption":"Butch Jones","image_credit":"(Getty Images)","type":"list"},{"image_id":"435215","title":"Winner: Texas","description":"
Charlie Strong added more pieces to go around linebacker Malik Jefferson by bringing in the nation’s top safety in Brandon Jones to go along with four-star linebackers Erick Fowler and Jeffrey McCullough. Texas finished No. 11 in the rankings, one spot behind last season’s showing at No. 10. All Strong needs now is a quarterback.<\/p>\n\n
This is good news for fans of “The Game.” Jim Harbaugh assembled a top-five class in his first cycle, topped off with the No. 1 player in the country in defensive tackle Rashan Gary<\/a>. Harbaugh also had success with Signing of the Stars, a star-studded Signing Day event that is sure to be copied by other schools in the future. The Wolverines still finished one spot behind rival Ohio State, which built another solid class under Urban Meyer. That’s six straight top-10 classes for the Buckeyes, and this one is highlighted by five-star defensive tackle Nick Bosa and four-star defensive end Jonathon Cooper.<\/p>\n\n
MORE: Michigan's big day<\/a> | Five Buckeyes to watch<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","rank":5,"number":5,"image_url":"http:\/\/images.performgroup.com\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/a0\/53\/jim-harbaugh-020416-getty-ftr_15dsqn1jyisam1su975rt8ryg8.jpg?t=-1392815550","image_source":"\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/a0\/53\/jim-harbaugh-020416-getty-ftr_15dsqn1jyisam1su975rt8ryg8.jpg?t=-1392815550","image_caption":"Jim Harbaugh","image_credit":"(Getty Images)","type":"list"},{"image_id":"435218","title":"Loser: Penn State","description":"
Michigan State didn’t have a top-10 recruiting class either, but the Spartans can trust Mark Dantonio’s record of developing talent. Penn State held a top 10 spot in the summer, but fell to No. 19 in the final rankings. The Nittany Lions still finished in the Top 20, and five-star running back Miles Sanders is an excellent piece to bank on. Still, James Franklin will have to turn in a successful year on the field to catch up to Ohio State and Michigan, and the Nittany Lions should be aware of in-state neighbor Pittsburgh, which jumped up 17 spots to No. 30 in Pat Narduzzi’s first full recruiting cycle. The recruiting battles in Pennsylvania will intensify.<\/p>\n","rank":6,"number":6,"image_url":"http:\/\/images.performgroup.com\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/84\/fb\/james-franklin-112815-getty-ftrjpg_12ohx5a5uboon1qwp3thmoj3l3.jpg?t=1342431913","image_source":"\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/84\/fb\/james-franklin-112815-getty-ftrjpg_12ohx5a5uboon1qwp3thmoj3l3.jpg?t=1342431913","image_caption":"James Franklin","image_credit":"(Getty Images)","type":"list"},{"image_id":"435219","title":"Winner: USC","description":"
The Trojans jumped 12 spots in the rankings after a fast-and-furious flourish on Signing Day that included flipping several recruits. Five-star defensive end Oluwole Betiku and cornerback Jack Jones are the headliners in Clay Helton’s first recruiting class, which added tackle E.J. Price, defensive end Connor Murphy and athletes Jamel Cook and Keyshawn Young. The Trojans’ tradition of recruiting well in state continues.<\/p>\n","rank":7,"number":7,"image_url":"http:\/\/images.performgroup.com\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/a1\/4\/courtesy-of-247sports_mww8dz4b1wd217dcuctb4mbx0.jpg?t=-1718348646","image_source":"\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/a1\/4\/courtesy-of-247sports_mww8dz4b1wd217dcuctb4mbx0.jpg?t=-1718348646","image_caption":"Oluwole Betiku","image_credit":"(Courtesy of 247Sports)","type":"list"},{"image_id":"435220","title":"Loser: Oregon","description":"We said the same thing last year, and we know the Ducks recruit more to system than to player rankings. That’s going to continue under Mark Helfrich, but it’s worth noting that the Ducks finished No. 27, one spot ahead of Arizona State (No. 28). USC (No. 8), UCLA (No. 12) and Stanford (No. 16) all had better classes.","rank":8,"number":8,"image_url":"http:\/\/images.performgroup.com\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/b7\/b5\/mark-helfrich-091615-getty-ftrjpg_17ngxyms2trot157798ar3o6j8.jpg?t=-695365121","image_source":"\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/b7\/b5\/mark-helfrich-091615-getty-ftrjpg_17ngxyms2trot157798ar3o6j8.jpg?t=-695365121","image_caption":"Mark Helfrich","image_credit":"(Getty Images)","type":"list"},{"image_id":"435221","title":"Winner: Florida State","description":"
The Seminoles flirted with the top spot in the rankings for a while, and Jimbo Fisher reeled in the No. 2 class. Florida State had one five-star and 17 four-star players join, including more depth on the lines with offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and Jauan Williams and defensive end Brian Burns. The increased depth the last two seasons makes the Seminoles an interesting bounce-back candidate — if you can call a three-loss team a bounce-back candidate — for 2016.<\/p>\n","rank":9,"number":9,"image_url":"http:\/\/images.performgroup.com\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/8\/ae\/jimbo-fisher-020416-getty-ftr_1byh0nw8a8m2318x1lc8d0sy2y.jpg?t=-1392790038","image_source":"\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/8\/ae\/jimbo-fisher-020416-getty-ftr_1byh0nw8a8m2318x1lc8d0sy2y.jpg?t=-1392790038","image_caption":"Jimbo Fisher","image_credit":"(Getty Images)","type":"list"},{"image_id":"435222","title":"Loser: Louisville and Virginia Tech","description":"The Cardinals finished No. 37 and the Hokies 41st in the team rankings, which is a little lower than both schools would like. They finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the ACC. Louisville will be a sleeper pick in the conference next season regardless, and Virginia Tech gets a free pass of sorts with first-year coach Justin Fuente. Pittsburgh (No. 30), Duke (No. 33) and North Carolina (No. 35) had better showings.","rank":10,"number":10,"image_url":"http:\/\/images.performgroup.com\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/92\/de\/fuente-petrino-020416-getty-ftr_y26od2xi6ui91r196eug5m9zq.jpg?t=-1392845646","image_source":"\/di\/library\/sporting_news\/92\/de\/fuente-petrino-020416-getty-ftr_y26od2xi6ui91r196eug5m9zq.jpg?t=-1392845646","image_caption":"Justin Fuente and Bobby Petrino","image_credit":"(Getty Images)","type":"list"}],"list_ordering":"ASC","version":"V2"}
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