You don't need the no. 1 class, you just need to keep it close. Bama has been absolutely running away with the talent for a decade. In 2017, the gap between Bama and the No. 10 class, Notre Dame, was the same talent wise as the gap between Notre Dame and Syracuse, at least according to 247, which does a pretty good job.
2017 Football Team Rankings
It is just stupid. It is extremely hard to overcome that disparity with coaching. We just need to stay within spitting distance to be competitive nationally. I am incredibly psyched with this class, whether it ends up no. 1, no. 5 or no. 10, these kids are good. Unless Bama or Georgia pull just stupid classes, this level of recruiting is can get us where we need to go.