California sends more prospects to the NFL than any other state, except Florida of course. When those guys decide to leave the state they tend to end up in Tuscaloosa.
This week BamaInsider is examining Alabama's recruiting success in some of the most important states in the country by reviewing which programs excel at signing the top-five prospects year-after-year in each state since 2015.
Other Pipelines: Alabama ranks first in Florida
Other links: SEC to allow on-campus workouts
The cream of the crop
The Crimson Tide might not sign a lot of California prospects, but with guys like running back Najee Harris, the nation's best in 2017, it's hard to find any fault with Alabama's results.
Quarterback Bryce Young was the nation's second overall prospect in 2020. That leaves Jonah Williams as the "disappointment" of the group since he was only ranked 24th overall.
2016
5. OT Jonah Williams- Drafted 11th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. He started all 44 games of his college career, was named a unanimous All-American as a junior and earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2018.
2017
1. RB Najee Harris- Carried the ball 209 times for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 27 receptions for 304 yards and an additional seven scores. Oh and he's 1,214 yards from becoming Alabama's all-time leading rusher.
2020
1. QB Bryce Young- He hasn't formally practiced with his new teammates yet, but Young did spend the spring working with NFL players like Pittsburgh Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
California is Alabama's fifth-most important pipeline covered in this series.
The Crimson Tide has signed eight total guys from the state since 2015.
Other noteworthy names out of California include:
- OT Tommy Brown (2018)
- WR Traeshon Holden (2020)
- QB Blake Barnett (2015)
