By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - It's no wonder this Alabama recruiting class holds a special place in coach Dennis Franchione's heart.

The program was hammered by NCAA sanctions last Friday, giving the 19 players who signed with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday plenty of opportunity for second thoughts.

"I would say that for me and our coaches, this might be as special a recruiting class as I've seen in my career," Franchione said. "Obviously, the next four or five years will clarify just how special they will be.

"A lot of these guys made early commitments and never wavered."

Franchione mostly deflected questions about the NCAA penalties that included a loss of 21 scholarships over the next three years and a two-year bowl ban. The university has appealed the decision.

The punishment didn't stop the Tide from landing 16 players from the state and three from junior colleges, who could end their careers without playing in a bowl game.

Alabama has only 17 scholarships to give because of the sanctions, but Franchione said three or four players have a "little work to do" to qualify academically and another four have a "good bit of work to do."

Franchione refused to complain about negative recruiting from other schools Wednesday, but said on his Web site that the Tide's recruits "were bombarded with phone calls from rival recruiters, some within 15 minutes of the announcement last Friday."

Asked Wednesday about how he felt that day, he said, "You know what? It really doesn't matter. I'd prefer to talk about the players coming to play for our football program. This is their day."

Those players include 13 on the defensive side - seven of them linemen.

The linemen and three linebacker signees appear to have the best chance among the prep signees of contributing next season.

The top defensive line signees are Kyle Tatum of Prattville High School and Daphne's Jeremy Clark.

Tatum, a 6-foot-6, 260-pounder, had 95 tackles, 25 stops behind the line and 14 sacks as a senior to earn PrepStar All-America honors. The 6-3, 275-pound Clark had nine sacks as Daphne went 15-0 and claimed the Class 6A state title.

Clark also made a phone call that relieved some of Franchione's stress Friday, about 45 minutes after he informed his current players of the sanctions and hopped in his car for a recruiting trip.

"He called me and said, 'Coach, you've got nothing to worry about. I'm coming to the University of Alabama,"' Franchione said. "That was a pretty special phone call right there."

The lone quarterback in the class is Brandon Avalos from Tuscaloosa's Hillcrest High School, who could play other positions.

Alabama signed three running backs, including Huntsville's Ken Darby, who gained 4,674 yards in four seasons with Butler.

The junior college transfers were defensive lineman Ahmad Childress from Garden City (Kan.) Community College, defensive back David Scott from Jones (Miss.) Community College and receiver Zach Fletcher from City College of San Francisco.

"We think those guys can help us (next year)," Franchione said. "They hold a special passion for playing at the University of Alabama. They could see we had need for them and that they could make an impact."

Fletcher, a Moulton native, especially fills a need as the Tide's lone receiver signee. He caught 45 passes for 1,057 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

The only offensive line signee was 6-5, 300-pound Grant Dickey of Tyler, Texas. Dickey's uncle, Jimmy, hired Franchione for his first college coaching job at Kansas State three decades ago.

The other out-of-staters were Childress (Nashville, Tenn.) and defensive back David Scott (Homestead, Fla.).

Franchione is hoping Tide fans appreciate the plunge this class took in sticking with Alabama despite the heavy sanctions.

"I believe our fans are going to have a special love and passion for them the next four or five years," he said.

Franchione declined to comment on the possibility of current players transferring.

The NCAA allows players to transfer if a bowl ban covers their remaining eligibility, meaning rising juniors and seniors could leave without having to sit out a year. Players would still have to sit out a year if they transferred to other Southeastern Conference schools.