In February 2015, Alabama -- as has been the case more times than not this decade -- signed the top-ranked class in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Since then, that class has dispersed faster than cars fly off the lot at coach Nick Saban's Mercedes-Benz dealership.
Matt Zenitz of AL.com reported Tuesday that offensive lineman Dallas Warmack is exiting the program with Oregon -- led by former Crimson Tide assistant Mario Cristobal -- as a possible landing spot.
On the surface, it's not a huge loss. But Warmack's departure marks the 10th player to leave out of Alabama's class of 24 players in 2015.
| Player | Position | Star-ranking | Destination |
|---|---|---|---|
Kendall Sheffield | DB | 5 | Blinn College to Ohio State |
Blake Barnett | QB | 5 | Arizona State to Unknown |
Daylon Charlot | WR | 4 | |
Mekhi Brown | DL | 4 | Tennessee State |
Desherrius Flowers | RB | 4 | Jones County (Miss.) JC to Grambling |
Shawn Burgess-Becker | LB | 4 | |
Adonis Thomas | LB | 4 | Northwest Mississippi CC to Florida State |
Dallas Warmack | OL | 4 | TBD |
Christian Bell | DL | 3 | |
| Jonathan Taylor | DL | 3 | Dismissed |
But that's not the end of the story for the 2015 recruiting class.
Four members of the top-ranked class in the country heard their names called in the NFL Draft last month.
| Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
Minkah Fitzpatrick | DB | |
Da'Ron Payne | DL | |
Calvin Ridley | WR | |
Ronnie Harrison | DB |
When you combine transfers, draftees and Taylor's departure, only 10 members of the 24-member, top-ranked class remain with the program.
What does this mean? It could be viewed in a variety of ways, but it definitely speaks to Saban's culture within the program. Obviously, four players living out their dreams in the NFL is a positive. But by stacking great class on great class every single year, even talented players have to fight 24/7/365 to earn (and subsequently keep) their jobs.
Barnett started the season opener at quarterback in 2016 and was quickly replaced by Jalen Hurts who lost two games in two seasons as the starting quarterback of the Crimson Tide. Sheffield didn't fit and found his way to Ohio State, where he will likely will see plenty of playing time and eventually make his way to the NFL.
It also indicates how players who transfer don't necessarily have to give up on football and can find their way to other programs if they choose to. Transferring doesn't signify the end of a player's career. In some cases, it's just a minor speed bump on the way to living out a dream.
Simply put, the Crimson Tide program is in great hands. We all saw the freshman that led the comeback win over Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship in January, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy, running back Najee Harris, and offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood.
Saban's culture of competition leads to transfers, and the 2015 class exemplifies that.