College Football Recruiting 2013: The Top 10 Coaches Recruits Are Avoiding

Not every school is a sexy pick on the recruiting trail, but you should still be able to attract players based on your profile. The higher the profile, the better caliber of talent you should be picking up on the norm.

I mean that in the sense of "sure Alabama and USC will attract 5-star prospects, but just because you're say, an Arizona, doesn't mean you still can't attract good talent.

If you can't, then it's evident recruits are avoiding you. Here are the top 10 coaches that recruits are avoiding.

10. Bobby Hauck (UNLV)

Hauck enters year three of his tenure in Las Vegas, and upon his hiring, I expected him to turn the Rebel program slowly into a power. However, he's just 4-21 in two seasons on the field.

Right now, his recruiting pull is extremely low, as evidenced by not having one single commitment towards 2013. It's clear that as of right now, recruits see Hauck calling and are hitting the "ignore" button.

9. Bill Snyder (Kansas State)

Snyder has had some challenges in attracting elite talent to Manhattan over the years, especially since he's returned to K-State. 

He's always been a coach that exercised the JC route well, but many elite recruits avoid his recruiting plea, as evidenced by the five pledges he's received this season (none of them ranked 4-star).

8. Kyle Whittingham (Utah)

Whittingham is an excellent football coach. It's just that nobody wants to play with him.

Moving into the Pac-12 hasn't paid off yet for the Utes on the recruiting trail, as they've yet to land a big-time, high-profile prospect from the region. Yet, of course Whittingham will assemble a solid class, coach 'em up and contend.

Still, elite recruits on the West are not lining up to play in Utah.

7. Charlie Weis (Kansas)

Weis is finding out the hard way that it's a bit tougher to recruit when you are not at Notre Dame and Florida. He's a good coach, but let's face it, Kansas isn't a sexy recruiting school.

I'm sure Weis is working the phones and all his back channel connections, but when a 17 or 18-year-old recruit hears the location "Kansas," (and not to play for Bill Self), their impulse is to hang up.

Weis has six commitments, none of which are 4-star prospects.

6. Danny Hope (Purdue)

Hope took over for Joe Tiller and has gone just 16-21 in three years as the lead Boilermaker. He has only four pledges for the 2013 class.

I've noticed that many elite Indiana recruits aren't really considering Purdue much, as Gunner Kiel overlooked them last year while Jaylon Smith and Elijah Daniel opting not to play in West Lafayette this season.

5. Todd Graham (Arizona State)

Graham opted out of Pittsburgh after a year to head to Tempe, and while he has yet to take the sidelines, he only has five pledges thus far.

Outside of LB/RB Chans Cox, Graham doesn't have much rankings-wise. I think some recruits may be a bit skeptical because of how he exited Pitt.

Yet, once the Sun Devils win a few games during the fall and recruits see how cool those uniforms look on the field, his calls will start getting through more easily.

4. Mario Cristobal (FIU)

Cristobal isn't on this list because he's a bad coach. Players are just uncomfortable with the fact that he could split anytime.

He's a super talented coach with a big-time work ethic and great charisma that recruits love—which is why he almost left for Rutgers last year and hears his name attached to many job openings frequently.

Cristobal only has about four pledges right now and recruits could be avoiding him due to his possible flight from the 305 to a higher profile program

3. Jeff Tedford (Cal)

It seems like Tosh Lupoi was Jeff Tedford's cool pass, because recruits were all heading to Cal for a few weeks last year. However, Lupoi bolted for Montlake and is now a Husky.

That leaves Tedford with seven pledges, but he isn't on the inside track for many elite recruits. Michael Hutchings is headed to USC, Darrell Daniels is headed to Washington and Eddie Vanderdoes is tough to read.

Tedford may be on the verge of striking out at landing any big-time elite west coast prospects, as it appears they are avoiding him this year.

2. Mike Riley (Oregon State)

I'm not sure what direction Oregon State is headed, as their recruiting classes haven't been too great in recent years. It looks like they rely on their staff to develop talent rather than haul it in, and I have no quarrels with that.

They just haven't won many big games with that strategy. Right now, Mike Riley has just three commitments and is on pace to land perhaps the lowest-ranked class in the Pac-12.

Elite recruits, outside of of Isaac Seumalo last year, are avoiding Riley and the Beavers. 

1. Kevin Wilson (Indiana)

Based off of how Scout.com views it, Indiana has just two commitments and neither player is even ranked 3-stars. 

Kevin Wilson had Gunner Kiel slip through his hands last year and many elite, Big Ten/Midwestern prospects are not looking hard at the Hoosiers.

Wilson will have to continue coaching up who he gets and proving he can win in Bloomington before he starts to really get into the races for top talent in the region.

Edwin Weathersby has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena League. He spent a year evaluating prep prospects & writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (now ESPN Rise-HS). A syndicated scout and writer, he's also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a College Football and NFL Draft magazine.