Alabama is still the king of the college football recruiting trail, and National Signing Day 2017 isn't even officially over yet.
For the seventh year in a row, the Crimson Tide took the No. 1 spot in 247Sports' Composite team rankings on the big day.
Breaking: @AlabamaFTBL takes home the No. 1 recruiting class - again! https://t.co/VNZEXIbHTjpic.twitter.com/CbRynZj5zA
— 247Sports (@247Sports) February 1, 2017
Alabama began signing day with the No. 1 class per 247Sports, but it was fighting off the likes of Ohio State and Georgia for the top spot. That spot was claimed before 4 p.m. ET. Per 247Sports, Alabama's class, with 322.53 total points, "is the second-best we've ever seen, behind Florida's 2010 haul.
The big pushes came from five-star defensive end LaBryan Ray, Alabama's top in-state player, and four-star wide receiver Devonta Smith. In fact, Alabama's star-studded class was so packed it reportedly had to offer a grayshirt to four-star defensive end Jarez Parks, the No. 93 overall prospect in the country.
That's right, Alabama apparently doesn't have enough room for a top-100 player. Then again, nearly all of this year's class is of the four-or-five-star variety.
But whether Alabama finished first or second or fifth by a respective recruiting outlet, the important theme is the Tide are recruiting at a high level. Bringing in top-five classes consistently doesn't guarantee a national championship, but it puts teams in a much better position to compete for one.
No program knows that better than Alabama, which has three playoff appearances and a national championship in the past three seasons.