It's all about $$$, don't let anything else fool you.
There are tons of great schools with excellent football programs, beautiful campuses, and great academics. Bama isn't one of them. T-town sucks and a Bama degree is worthless. Plus, it's well -known that Saban treats kids like crap and cuts players like a NFL coach.
Kids go to Bama because their impressionable, get paid, and see a chance to make NFL cash. Hopefully one day the IRS will investigate the players, boosters, and coaches behind these surely unreported payments and file tax evasion charges. Until then, we will always lose players to Bama, LSU, etc, regardless of how we do on the field