What I did find interesting, however, was one line that illustrates how "number one class" becomes a self-perpetuating myth.
So say Markatez Bizafleen is a three star, Saban comes along and shows interest, dicks explode at Rivals and ESPN and Bizafleen becomes a four or five star. That happens with four or five other kids and all of a sudden a class that is in reality filled with two and three stars is bumped up to a "Number One" class because Bizafleen and pals are four and fives. That's creating something that doesn't exist in the real world. It's perception over reality.
I can't say I know it for a fact, but I can say it with full confidence:
The majority of Alabama's early commitments for their 2008 class were severely inflated in order to create hype for the first full Nick Saban class. This led to national exposure and a freight train of excitement that helped get them the #1 class.
It's not about inflating every kid on their commitment list. It's about ensuring that their class has excitement and that the big dogs still believe Alabama is the top program.
I think this happens for most big schools, honestly. More so for Alabama. The guy that got the online recruiting game rolling was a Bama fan (Lucky from Rivals).