But now, a school can point to its NFL success and ask prospects, do you want to get on the pipeline or get left out?
"(Nick) Saban's changed it," Grass said. "He's a marquee guy.
His ability to get five-star guys into the league in three years is a big deal. It's very relevant to recruiting."
It's not just Alabama. At USC, Carson Palmer beget Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley -- one NFL-ready quarterback after another. No one cared about the competition because of the future rewards.
Saban seems to be the master of the moment. His players are lauded as NFL-ready when they leave campus, and that's a selling point for high school kids with wanderlust.
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