Alabama wins again on national signing day

Per usual, national signing day had its share of theatrics. And by the end, also per usual, some of college football’s most talent-rich programs got that much richer.

While Deontay Anderson, a safety from Manvel, Texas, earned top honors for theatrics by starring in a video in which he skydived through animated cloud logos representing several schools that recruited him — including his final three of Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana State — national champion Alabama secured the top recruiting class, according to a consensus of analysts.

The Crimson Tide signed 25 players, including linebacker Ben Davis of Gordo, Ala., and running back B.J. Emmons of Morganton, N.C., the nation’s top recruits at their positions, according to Scout.com.

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Other big winners: Ohio State, Florida State, Louisiana State and Mississippi, which learned it had landed Anderson when he unzipped his sky diving apparel to reveal a red Ole Miss T-shirt.

Michigan also made inroads under Coach Jim Harbaugh, who celebrated signing the nation’s top-rated player, defensive tackle Rashan Gary from Paramus, N.J., at a star-studded event to which he invited celebrities such as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and wrestling icon Ric Flair.

UCLA and USC both made strong showings. The Bruins were rated No. 10 by Rivals.com and No. 7 by Scout.com, which noted that rankings outside its top five could change as undecided recruits sign in the coming days. The Trojans were No. 7 by Rivals.com, No. 8 by 247Sports.com and No. 11 by Scout.com, though USC’s average star rating — 3.90, according to Scout.com — was best in the nation.

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National recruiting ranking by Scout.com:

Rk; School; Commits; 5-4-3 stars; Star avg.; Pts.

1.; Alabama; 25; 3-16-6; 3.88; 4,808

2.; Ohio State; 25; 2-17-6; 3.84; 4,641

3.; Florida State; 25; 2-15-8; 3.76; 4,425

4.; Louisiana State; 24; 2-15-7; 3.79; 4,361

5.; Mississippi; 24; 2-15-7; 3.79; 4,315

6.; Michigan; 29; 2-13-14; 3.59; 4,217

7.; UCLA; 29; 1-14-13; 3.43; 4,133

8.; Texas; 24; 1-15-8; 3.71; 4,132

9.; Georgia; 21; 3-12-5; 3.76; 3,822

10.; Florida; 26;1-12-11; 3.46; 3,819

11.; USC; 20; 4-10-6; 3.90; 3,734

Other recruiting rankings:

247Sports.com

1. Alabama

2. Florida State

3. Louisiana State

4. Ohio State

5. Michigan

6. Mississippi

7. Georgia

8. USC

9. Auburn

10. Clemson

Rivals.com

1. Alabama

2. Florida State

3. Ohio State

4. Michigan

5. Clemson

6. Mississippi

7. USC

8. Auburn

9. Louisiana State

10. UCLA

ESPN.com

1. Florida State

2. Alabama

3. Louisiana State

4. Mississippi

5. Ohio State

6. Michigan

7. Georgia

8. Clemson

9. Auburn

10. Texas