While it’s not a requirement, and CBS Sports’s Bud Elliot is clear about that, since 2011, when he began the project, every national champion has cleared the blue-chip ratio. That means that over the last four years, they have recruited more four and five-star players than two and three-stars.
This year, despite the significant roster churn that occurred when Nick Saban retired and Kalen DeBoer took over, and despite expectations (that have since been disproven) that DeBoer would be a subpar SEC recruiter, Alabama is the No. 1 team on Elliot’s 2025 blue-chip ratio.
Alabama leads the country in Bud Elliot’s blue-chip ratio
Of the last four recruiting cycles, which are factored into Elliot’s blue-chip ratio, Alabama’s lowest-ranked class is the 2025 group that finished No.