re: Bama has arguably wasted more elite talent than anyone lately

I agree and I commend you for pointing to an issue which most Gumps would argue against. You obviously are not a Gump but an intelligent football fan.

It is quite impressive to look at the level of dominance which Bama has established on the recruiting front on a consistent basis. I've seen many homer comments that the difference between the #1 and #5 classes is irrelevant. The fact is that Bama has been a clear #1 and the gap between #2 has been significant in most years. I've always felt that one of Saban's strengths is his ability to get a team loaded with 5* to buy into the team concept and that they probably won't start as freshmen. The problem might be that he's starting to lose those guys coming into the program as freshman (non-starters).