Les Miles and Nick Saban are both known for recruiting top level talent every year, but Miles’ talent shows more promise in the NFL than Saban’s does. 
Although the Crimson Tide have had a slight upper hand in head-to-head match-ups, the production of NFL athletes by LSU is evidence of Miles’ golden touch when it comes to recruitment.
Just this past year, three LSU Tigers left for the NFL and proved to be stand-outs on the field.
Cincinnati Bengals’ running back Jeremy Hill should be considered a Pro Bowl snub. He racked up over 1,100 rushing yards with nine touchdowns, average five yards per carry. Hill also led the NFL in rushing since Week 9. Taking over for another young running back in Giovanni Bernard means Hill will have more touches to prove he belongs in the NFL.
There’s also wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. who stepped in for the New York Giants in Week 5 after being bothered with a hamstring injury. Beckham caught 91 passes for 1,300 yards and was tied for fourth in the league with 12 touchdowns. Beckham’s 12-game performance this season was the most receiving yards and catches in a player’s first 12 games.
Also, if he is healthy for Week 1, Beckham could break Hall-of-Famer Michael Irvin’s record of most consecutive games with at least 90 receiving yards. Beckham is tied with Irvin at nine games.
Now although both players mentioned are in the Rookie of the Year conversation, former LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger performed well enough in his seven games to show some promise. Mettenberger was just under the 60-percentage completion mark and had a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio. If he can remain healthy next season, he will be another example of NFL-caliber talent that LSU provides.
The college to NFL transition has not been as sweet for the Crimson Tide.
The last two quarterbacks who entered the league from Alabama, Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron, did not receive starting jobs or opportunities to begin their careers. McElroy already called it quits in the NFL and retired after getting just one start with the New York Jets along with two games of playing time.
McCarron did not get any playing time in 2014 because Andy Dalton was under center, but that doesn’t entirely spell a bust just yet. However, statistically, this was Dalton’s worst year in the past three seasons and the Bengals should’ve considered putting McCarron in. Cincinnati’s season ended in a Week 17 matchup at the Pittsburgh Steelers when Dalton and the Bengals failed to pull out a victory.
Another example of the NFL not working out for Alabama players is Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson. Richardson has basically fallen off the NFL map. Ahmad Bradshaw, Vick Ballard and Dan “Boom” Herron have all performed better than Richardson with the same supporting cast, so his time may be up.
Exhibit A would be the Redskins vs. Colts in Week 13. Richardson and Herron both had eight carries in the game, but Richardson was outperformed. He only had 12 yards and 1.5 yards per carry. Herron, on the other hand, had 88 rushing yards, averaging 11 per carry, and a touchdown.
Richardson was also suspended the final two games because of missing a team walk-through. He told reporters he was “dealing with a serious family issue,” but was still suspended and his guaranteed $3.2 million on his contract is now void. Richardson’s time in the pros may be over.  
This does not mean Alabama does not produce talent, however. Both safety HaHa Clinton-Dix and running back Eddie Lacy of the Green Bay Packers have shown they belong in this league.
In Clinton-Dix’s rookie season, he had 94 tackles with an interception and a forced fumble. He also had a great performance against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game where he intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson twice to go along with 5 tackles.
Don’t forget Lacy either. In his two years in the NFL, Lacy has over 2,300 rushing yards with 20 touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry. He also had only fumbled the ball four times in 530 carries and is known for the greatest spin move in the league.
In summary, both colleges have produced effective players for the league, but Coach Miles’ recruiting seems to have a leg up on Saban’s. Miles’ recruiting will only get better with the trio he formed when bringing in new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron.
If Miles can get his talent to perform at that level in college before they declare for the draft, then he should be in position for a national title.