10 highest-rated Alabama football recruits ever and how they lived up to the hype (or didn’t)

No. 4 highest-rated Alabama football recruit: WR Julio Jones (2008)

Julio Jones was a homegrown prospect from Foley, Alabama with the kind of physical presence even as a high school player to make college coaches’ mouths water. Early in Nick Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa, he was a recruiting gem on which to build a program.

In fact, Saban hadn’t managed to snag a truly elite recruit in his first class in 2007. That year, four of the top five recruits in Alabama went to either Auburn or LSU while the Tide’s top commit, Kerry Murphy, failed to qualify.

Jones and the 2008 class, which Rivals ranked No. 1 nationally, represented a sharp turnaround for Alabama recruiting

And Jones turned out to be absolutely worth the five-star hype. He broke the Alabama freshman record for touchdown catches with four in just five games and finished with 924 yards.

His 2009 season was a step back in terms of production but the 2010 season proved how dominant the receiver could be. Jones had 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns, including a 12-catch, 221-yard game against Tennessee.

The Falcons selected Jones at No. 6 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft and he went on to multiple first team All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowl nods.