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Alabama safety Deionte Thompson, an early enrollee, meets the press Feb. 4, 2015, to discuss National Signing Day at the Mal Moore Athletic Facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

I'm sure Nick Saban loves all of his signees equally, like a father does his children. The Alabama coach can't really say he has a favorite player in the latest in a growing series of Crimson Tide signing classes to be ranked No. 1 in the nation.

But Saban has to have a special place in his heart for Deionte Thompson.

The 6-foot-2, 181-pound, four-star safety from Texas isn't the highest-ranked player in the class, not with Alabama inking six five-star recruits, but he does stand out for another reason.

He was the first player to commit to Alabama for the Class of 2015, and he stuck to his commitment the longest.

When did Thompson commit to Alabama? On Feb. 23, 2013. How long ago was that? Almost two years ago, to be exact, or 47 days after Alabama beat Notre Dame to win its third national championship in four years.

That kind of commitment doesn't make headlines on National Signing Day. You generate buzz by waiting until today to announce your college choice, preferably on ESPNU with a hat store in front of you. Or, for maximum drama, you commit to one school and change your mind at the last minute on the first day you can sign that letter of intent.

"If a guy changes (his commitment)," Saban said Wednesday, "he gets a lot of attention. He's on the front page of USA Today and all kinds of stuff."

That guy who makes an early decision and sticks to it, like Thompson?

"He's like a forgotten man with you all (in the media) and the public," Saban said.

As is the standard in recruiting, Thompson wasn't forgotten by other schools after going public with his Alabama pledge almost two years ago. According to 247 Sports, he was offered a scholarship a month later by Texas, followed quickly by offers from Baylor and Texas A&M.

Other offers came later from USC, Notre Dame and Florida State, but they didn't sway Thompson. Last September, after an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama beat down Florida, he signed a financial-aid agreement with the Crimson Tide. In January, he arrived on campus in Tuscaloosa to start classes.

In other words, Thompson was a man of his word.

He's not the only one. The Crimson Tide's class especially was free of Signing Day drama. So today's a great day to show a little love for all those football players at Alabama and beyond who don't contribute to the circus that recruiting can be. It's nice to know there are still talented young men out there who understand the true meaning of the word "commitment."