Alabama hauls in four commitments after A-Day

For a mere scrimmage, Saturday really counted for the University of Alabama.

In one of the most bountiful recruiting days in recent memory for a program that has dominated the recruiting trail of late, the Crimson Tide picked up four verbal commitments for the 2015 class in a span of two hours following the Crimson Tide's A-Day game.

The group is headlined by Jersey City (N.J.) five-star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and Coconut Creek (Fla.) five-star receiver Calvin Ridley. Fitzpatrick is rated the No. 9 overall player in the 2015 class while Ridley ranks No. 11 overall.

Landing two of the nation's top 11 players would be a coup for any school in an entire year, but the Crimson Tide landed commitments from two less than 10 minutes apart.

"I told (Saban) I had a great experience working with him in the summer, had great experience down there this weekend, I really enjoyed the visit so I want to commit to the University of Alabama," Fitzpatrick told TideSports.com.

Spring games are becoming increasingly popular recruiting tools as schools bring in recruits to take in the festivities for the weekend.

This year's was as bountiful as ever for the Crimson Tide.

In addition to the two five-star players, Alabama earned pledges from four-star Brookhaven (Miss.) linebacker Leo Lewis and Coconut Creek (Fla.) and four-star safety Shawn Burgess-Becker.

Lewis is the No. 61 player in the nation while Burgess-Becker, a high school teammate of Ridley's, is rated as the No. 74 overall player nationally. The four Rivals100 commitments gives Alabama nine overall in the class of 2015. The next closest school to Alabama, Clemson, has three Rivals 100 commitments.

Lewis is the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi and Fitzpatrick is the highest-rated player in New Jersey.

Alabama's recruiting is meandering annual tradition as it has hauled in the No. 1 recruiting class for four years straight. The 2014 class signed in February was the highest-rated class signed by any school since Rivals.com updated its team rankings formula in 2008.

Saturday's haul has increased Alabama's hold on the No. 1 spot in the Class of 2015 recruiting rankings over No. 2 Penn State.

-Andrew Bone contributed to this report. Follow on Twitter @AndrewJBone

Editor's Note: TideSports.com's Andrew Bone reports that Jovon Durante has not formally committed to Alabama as of Saturday, but expects him to commit in the coming days.

Reach D.C. Reeves at dc@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.