They may have been runner-ups for the national championship but Georgia was the clear-cut winners on National Signing Day.

Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs signed the top class of the 2018 recruiting period, unseating Alabama, which had dominated the landscape with seven consecutive No. 1 classes before Wednesday.

Tyson Campbell was one of seven 5-star prospects to sign with Georgia as the cornerback from American Heritage High (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) added his name to the mix on live television.

“I felt comfortable and it’s a place I could see myself playing there,” Campbell said on ESPNU.

“One of the things that helped us today is the fact we knocked a lot of the work out in December,” Smart explained later in the day. “We were able to focus a lot of our contact attention on the four or five guys that made up the remainder of our class.”

But Georgia wasn’t done making waves, flipping 5-star linebacker Quay Walker from Alabama and 4-star linebacker Otis Reese from Michigan as both chose to remain in the state rather than play their college ball elsewhere.

“What (Smart) did and what the previous staff had been unable to do was put a fence around the state of Georgia,” said Tom Lemming, national recruiting analyst for CBS Sports Network. The Bulldogs signed 15 players from the Peach State this cycle and 17 players in 2017. “He seemed to sign almost every single guy he wanted from the state.

“It’s a class loaded with superstars.”

Smart said the No. 1 ranking wasn’t a concern to him or his staff.

“I don’t think it’s what’s important,” he added. “What’s more important was the quality of kids we were able to get both academically and athletically.”

Ohio State finished behind Georgia in the rankings according to 247Sports.com despite featuring a better overall average of player (94.29 to 94.23).

Much of the Buckeyes class was in place before Wednesday began with eight players already enrolled in school thanks to the early signing period back in December.

“January was far less drama. Far less panic like you normally speak — or normally you deal with in January,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said of the early signing period.

Ohio State did secure the top tackles in the class with offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere (Berkley Prep, Tampa) and defensive tackle Taron Vincent (IMG Academy in Florida).

“I felt like this was the place for me,” Petit-Frere said on ESPNU.

With close to three-quarters of the high school prospects having already signed their national letter of intent back in December, much of the thrill was drained out of Wednesday’s activities.

Campbell’s teammate, Patrick Surtain Jr., another 5-star cornerback and the fifth-best overall player in the class, chose to play for Nick Saban at Alabama.

“They win championships and I want to be a part of that,” Surtain explained of his decision.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the strong performance by Willie Taggart and his staff at Florida State. The Seminoles salvaged a top 10 class despite a major coaching change at the end of the month of November.

“Willie Taggart, I think, will do even better than Jimbo Fisher when it comes to recruiting,” Lemming said. “Willie Taggart is an exceptional recruiter and now he’s got the great state of Florida to recruit.

“I think next year they’ll have a shot at the No. 1 recruiting class, that’s how good Willie Taggart is and with a powerhouse like Florida State behind him, (I think) within a year, people are going to be forgetting about Jimbo Fisher.”