Some Alabama football fans are perplexed every time the Crimson Tide accepts a commitment from a 3-Star recruit who is not a kicker. To many fans, a recruiting juggernaut must be settling for less whenever a lower rated recruit is added.
The key to sorting through such consternation is to focus on who is doing the rating. The Alabama football staff does not recruit based on ratings from Rivals, ESPN, 247Sports or any other entity publishing recruit rankings.
At least two of the organizations listed above frequently provide credible information. So much of their attention is dedicated to the top 200-300 players in each class, information on lesser-known players is sometimes incomplete.