Top Ten Alabama Moments of 2008: #7 - National Signing Day

After a fairly miserable 7-6 season that saw a lot of promise turn into a four game losing streak to end the regular season, Alabama fans were reminded of one of the biggest reasons Nick Saban was hired in the first place: Bring in the kind of top talent that both wants to play for championships and can play for them. There were question marks all over the field, but a lot of them were addressed on National Signing Day when the Tide landed the #1 ranked class in the country. Sixteen true freshman saw playing time this year, and four members of the class made an immediate impact that helped Alabama reach 12 wins and a division title in Saban's second year. Terrence Cody earned All-American honors at NG after a season spent keying the stout run defense, while Julio Jones (who was also the leading receiver by far) and Don'ta Hightower (who started at LB the entire season and finished fourth in tackles) were selected to the Freshman All-America team. RB Mark Ingram finished second in rushing yards with an impressive 5.1 ypc average and scored the most TDs on the team with 12, and has the inside track to be the featured back next season with the departure of Glen Coffee.