Alabama the biggest winner of a quiet National Signing Day

National Signing Day arrived without much fanfare on Wednesday, but that won't stop a few teams from celebrating. Among those programs, Alabama will likely cheer the loudest.

Texas A&M was an early winner with five-star Terry Bussey, 247 Sports' No. 16 overall prospect, signing his letter of intent. SEC rival LSU added five-star defensive lineman Dominick McKinley, the top Louisiana recruit in the 2024 class and originally a member of Texas A&M's recruiting class. Big Ten newcomer Oregon added No. 27 overall prospect Gatlin Bair.

However, the Tide were the day's big winner, with two players in 247 Sports top 100 signing their letter of intent.

Five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams signed with the Tide on Wednesday morning, and Noah Carter, the No. 8 edge-defender in the 2024 class, joined him later in the day. 

Most of the top recruits announced their decisions on early signing day on Dec. 20, neutering what used to be one of the biggest days on the college football calendar.But for Alabama, in particular, National Signing Day 2024 is huge for a program that dealt with defections following Nick Saban's retirement.

When the dust settled, Alabama finished with the No. 2 recruiting class in 2024, per 247, tying Georgia for the most five-star recruits (five) and also adding the sixth-most four-stars (17).

Head coach Kalen DeBoer needed positive news to offset the negatives. 2024 quarterback recruit Julian Sayin decommitted and agreed to join Ohio State. The Tide also lost valuable 2023 freshman Caleb Downs, who went to the Buckeyes, too.

National Signing Day represented a small win for the Tide, but during an offseason that has been the most turbulent in Alabama in nearly two decades, they'll celebrate their wins where they can find them.