Contrary to popular belief, Nick Saban isn’t just dominating college football with players from SEC country.

In fact, it might surprise some that Alabama, which will play in the national championship on Monday night, boasts nine players from B1G territory. Six of those players are offensive linemen, two of which are starters.

Saban’s recruiting ties hold no geographical boundaries, and you can bet that B1G coaches wish they wouldn’t have let some of his players lead their respective states.

The Best

-Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama DB (2015 class from Old Bridge, NJ)

It might be unfair to say Fitzpatrick was a B1G country recruit because he gave his verbal pledge to Alabama in April 2014 at the end of his junior year. Rutgers became a B1G program the summer before Fitzpatrick’s senior year, but really, Kyle Flood didn’t stand much of a chance of changing his mind. Fitzpatrick only visited Alabama and Florida State, but he never wavered on his early commitment.

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The five-star recruit has done nothing but star since he arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2015. He was 247sports’ true freshman of the year after a season in which he led the Tide in pass breakups. His role as a hybrid safety-corner will make him a valuable asset for Saban’s squad for years to come.

-Robert Foster, Alabama WR (2013 class from Monaca, Pa.)

Penn State had a shot to land the five-star wide receiver, but timing hurt the Lions. The looming NCAA sanctions and the Jerry Sandusky scandal were both still hot topics in college football. On top of that, Bill O’Brien was linked to NFL jobs after the 2012 season, while Foster saw the Crimson Tide smoke Notre Dame for another national title. Foster only took official visits to Alabama and Pitt, and he went with the Tide in December of 2012.

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So far, Foster has yet to maximize his talent. He isn’t playing on Monday night because of a torn rotator cuff he suffered against Ole Miss in Alabama’s lone loss. Up to that point, he was poised for a breakout sophomore year. Instead, Calvin Ridley emerged as Jake Coker’s go-to target. He’ll enter his fourth season in Tuscaloosa with only 16 career catches, but he still possesses the five-star talent that made him the top receiver in the 2013 class.

-Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama OL (2014 class from Cedar Falls, Iowa)

Nobody is more fitting for this list than Pierschbacher. The Cedar Falls native was initially committed to the Hawkeyes as the No. 1 ranked player in the state in 2014. But after a trip to Alabama, he flipped his commitment to Saban and the Tide. Losing the nation’s top guard was one of the more crushing decommits during Kirk Ferentz’s time in Iowa City, and with his future still up in the air, Pierschbacher’s flip certainly didn’t help.

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At Alabama, Pierschbacher has certainly lived up to his highly coveted status. As a redshirt freshman, he started every game at guard this season and helped pave the way for Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. Pierschbacher only allowed half a sack all season for arguably the nation’s top unit. As someone who can play both guard and tackle, Pierschbacher will be one of the key returning pieces after earning freshman all-conference honors this year. With the departures of Austin Blythe and Jordan Walsh, you can bet Ferentz wishes he had Pierschbacher to anchor the Iowa line for years to come.

-Ryan Kelly, Alabama OL (2011 class from West Chester, Ohio)

Ohio State’s current administration had nothing to do with Kelly’s recruitment. In fact, neither did the old administration. For whatever reason, Jim Tressel didn’t make a serious push for the four-star center out of West Chester. Kelly was recruited more seriously by Michigan State than Ohio State. He actually admitted that he had zero Ohio State allegiances and that he grew up a Notre Dame fan. Ultimately, he joined the Tide as another ho-hum recruit.

The rest, of course, is history.

Kelly earned the 2015 Rimington Trophy Award, given annually to the nation’s top center. The consensus first-team All-American had a major say in Henry destroying SEC rushing records en route to the Heisman Trophy. He’s been a mainstay in the starting lineup since taking over for All-American Barrett Jones. Like Jones, Kelly will go down as one of the more decorated linemen in program history. But Urban Meyer won’t lose any sleep over a player he never had the chance to recruit.

The Rest

-J.J. Hassenauer, Alabama OL (2014 class from Woodbury, Minn.)

-Chris Posa, Alabama OL (from Commerce, Mich.)

-Derek Kief, Alabama WR (2015 class from Cincinnati, Ohio)

-Brandon Moore, Alabama OL (from Cincinnati, Ohio)

-Richie Petitbon, Alabama OL (2015 class from Annapolis, Md.)

For the record:

-Cyrus Jones is from Baltimore, but Maryland wasn’t a B1G school at the time of his recruitment