Julian Fleming, the nation’s No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the Class of 2020, strongly considered Alabama and even visited Tuscaloosa earlier this year.

Fleming, though, chose not to follow in the footsteps of NFL stars Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley and instead chose Ohio State.

What happened with Alabama?

“Their coaching has been inconsistent,” Fleming said last week at The Opening Finals recruiting showcase in Frisco, Texas. “I’ve been recruited by two, three coaches there. You know, I want someone I can rely on.”

Nick Saban’s coaching staff has endured massive coaching turnover in each of the last two offseasons, including the addition of seven new coaches for the 2019 season.

“That’s a stepping stone for coaches now,” Fleming said. “They’re going to Alabama and they’re moving up, because that’s just the process they go through. You know, Nick Saban is going to be there and is going to be reliable, but ultimately it was about I needed someone to coach me.”

Fleming isn’t the only prospect put-off by Alabama’s coaching turnover.

Quarterback Carson Beck, a 4-star prospect from Jacksonville, Florida, was committed to Alabama for months, but de-committed in February and picked Georgia about a month later. He said Alabama’s coaching volatility contributed to his flip.

“Whenever all the offensive staff started leaving,” Beck said, “and I was like, ‘I have no one to talk to. I don’t know any of these guys. I really don’t have a relationship with them.’”

Elite prospects spend time developing relationships with position coaches and recruiting coordinators throughout the recruiting process, which can begin as early as their freshman year of high school. Coaching turnover can distort a school’s core message even if the head coach remains entrenched.

At Alabama, prospects understand Saban’s philosophy and track record of sending players to the NFL remain constant, but that hasn’t always mitigate the Crimson Tide’s coaching turnover.

Of course, Alabama’s Class of 2020 currently consists of 20 players and ranks No. 2 nationally – trailing only national champ Clemson -- according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. That shows the coaching turnover hasn’t been catastrophic.

“Coach Saban broke it down to me like they have a lot of coaching changes, but it’s because they’re getting better jobs,” said uncommitted Central-Phenix City receiver E.J. Williams. “You see Mike Locksley, he went to Maryland and got the head coaching job. Josh Gattis, he was the past wide receiver coach and he went to Michigan and got the offensive coordinator job. It’s not like they’re just leaving and down grading.

“They’re upgrading for better jobs and making more money and providing more for their family.”