Tuscaloosa, Alabama - Amid the final stretch in the race for the nation's best 2023 college football (CFB) recruiting class, Alabama head coach Nick Saban looks to make other programs admire his Crimson Tide team.

While there are still nearly two days remaining in the early signing period, the Alabama Crimson Tide has garnered an impressive lead from the CFB pack with their current 2023 class commits.

Alabama finished the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday with the biggest commits to their program, as Saban signed 27 players comprised of 25 high school additions and two junior college transfers.

Of the 25 high school newcomers, 24 commits are five-star and four-star athletes, while nine are ranked within the top 48 in the nation.

The Crimson Tide began their day of big commitments with Kadyn Proctor flipping from Iowa on Tuesday, followed by the signings of the state's top two prospects out of Carver High School.

While elite recruits James Smith and Qua Russaw were always considered a package deal, prospects Caleb Downs and Justice Haynes made their pledges to Alabama official on Wednesday, giving the Crimson Tide the most five-star players of any college football team.

To no surprise, Alabama football has set a new NFL record for the number of former players from a school to appear in games throughout a single season.

This year, Alabama became the first college program to have 70 former players take the field throughout a single NFL season. Last weekend, the Cleveland Browns showdown against the Baltimore Ravens featured a total of eight former Crimson Tide players alone.

Throughout the NFL, there is at least one former Alabama player on 28 teams with the New England Patriots having the most with six players.

It's safe to say that Alabama has been a football factory for decades. And 15 years into Saban’s Crimson Tide tenure, the program still remains a great place for college football athletes to prepare for an NFL career.