Two major college football programs lose out on 1700-yard athlete

A family connected to the SEC bound those connections a bit tighter on Wednesday while leaving a couple of programs disappointed. While the February Signing Day means considerably less than it used to, it still carries plenty of weight for the few prospects who wait to sign. One of those was New Jersey athlete Amari Sabb.

Sabb, listed at either 5'8" or 5'9", is the younger brother of Alabama safety Keon Sabb. Amari is an offensive prospect. In his senior season of high school, Amari totaled over 1,700 yards, rushing for 823 yards and 14 scores (and 12.7 yards per carry) and catching 53 passes for 916 yards and 12 more touchdowns. He projects as a likely wide receiver at the next level.

Sabb's pick

Sabb ultimately cast his lot with Alabama, picking the Tide just ahead of Signing Day and leaving several disappointed programs behind. Other finalists noted in his recruitment included Notre Dame and Oregon State. Not mentioned as a finalist but a frequent host for Sabb was Rutgers. The in-state school hosted Sabb on nine different occasions according to On3sports. Penn State also received multiple visits from Sabb.

The runners-up

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman signed an impressive portal class, even if he did miss Amari Sabb. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame did miss on Sabb, but not on many other recruits. The Irish are bringing 30 new freshmen to campus and are ranked No. 5 in 247's final rankings for the recruiting class. The Irish have signed five incoming wide receivers, including most notably four-star recruit Devin Fitzgerald from Arizona. Fitzgerald is further noteworthy as the son of NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald.

Oregon State, on the other hand, definitely feels the loss of Sabb. With 15 commitments, the Beavers are ranked 97th in 247's team rankings. OSU did sign three receivers and an athlete who might end up seeing time as a pass catcher. None of the signees at the receiver position were ranked above the three-star rating that Sabb commanded.

Alabama's class with Sabb ended up second in the 247 rankings. Alabama will likely end up with four receiver signees, with the highest regarded being four-star in-state recruit Cederian Morgan. A full half of Alabama's incoming recruits ended up being three-star prospects.

While the Tide celebrate the spoils of victory, the Signing Day defeat will likely be barely felt by the loaded Notre Dame Irish, but certainly hurt the Oregon State Beavers. Signing Day still matters, and Amari Sabb is just the latest example of why.

New Oregon State coach JaMarcus Shephard lost out to Alabama in the recruiting battle for Amari Sabb. | Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images