Top college football recruit Alvin Kamara made headlines last year when he received a mailbox-full of recruitment letters from the University of Alabama.

During the National Signing Day announcement earlier this month, Kamara demonstrated just how powerful a letter — or 100 — can be by announcing his decision to play for the University of Alabama over his home state school, the University of Georgia.

When Kamara opened his mailbox to an outpouring of letters last spring, he acknowledged that the recruitment style was unexpected — but nonetheless got his attention. Even though Kamara waited until the last minute to decide where to play, the box of letters he kept from the University of Alabama may well have helped him make up his mind.