If it did not do anything else, the SEC Network and Elias Sports Bureau provided Nick Saban with his latest recruiting tool.
He is already well-respected as a six-time national champion, a recruiting guru and the best college football head coach of all-time, but Saban has also been exceptional in graduating student-athletes from the University of Alabama to the National Football League. Since 2009, Saban has positioned 96 players into the NFL Draft — including 33 first-round selections.
According to a graphic from SEC Network (via Elias Sports Bureau), the Crimson Tide is the only college football program to have starters in the NFL at all 22 positions. To provide context on how deep Alabama football is, Calvin Ridley (wide receiver), Ronnie Harrison (safety) and Levi Wallace (cornerback) are starters too but they were not named. Ridley is in his third season with the Atlanta Falcons, while Harrison (Cleveland Browns) and Wallace (Buffalo Bills) are in their third NFL seasons.
The ONLY college football team with starters at all 22 positions in the NFL: @AlabamaFTBL ?
(via @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/QwjA4l5TT9
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 4, 2020
Of those who played under Saban at Alabama, nine have been on Super Bowl teams.
RELATED: Nick Saban has zero interest in a career in politics, praises Tommy Tuberville
The group of Terrence Cody, James Carpenter, Dont’a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw, Chance Warmack, Jesse Williams, Reggie Ragland, Cyrus Jones and DeAndrew White (Patriots’ practice squad) all have at least one ring.
This graphic feeds into the notion of if you want to make to the pros, Alabama needs to be the school to consider.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
