You should post this in the Bama forum… you’ll get lots of responses about “higher tier” students at a lower ranked school.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1307193-your-bama-brags-dont-be-shy.html#latest
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/1549857-what-schools-did-your-child-pass-on-in-order-to-attend-alabama.html#latest