Each Top 25 Team's Best College Football Recruiting Feature
Every program that wants to attract talent and recruit good players to come play for their program knows they must polish up their presentation to recruits. Every program has at least one feature that it uses to help lure recruits on campus, whether it's a high-level BCS bowl program or an NAIA school.
Recruiting features are extremely important and if your program is going to recruit at an exceptional rate, all of the recruiting features must be constantly on display. Recruiting features can range from location, championship rings, uniforms, facilities, fan bases or even a rock-star head coach.
For this list, we're going to use the final AP poll from last season and list the best recruiting feature for each top 25 program. So come check this out and see the best recruiting feature for each top 25 program.
25. Nebraska
1 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Fan Base
The Cornhuskers typically like to get recruits on campus in Lincoln at home games. It's not hard to see why, because each home game is packed to the brim with Big Red fans.
The fan base is also a very knowledgeable crowd and basically the whole state of Nebraska supports the program.
24. Michigan
2 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Their Brand
By brand I mean Michigan football is one of the classics of the college football landscape. There is so much history and tradition at Michigan from legendary coaches, players, championships, the helmets, the stadium and historic moments.
The brand of Wolverine football sells itself.
23. Vanderbilt
3 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Ability To Combine High Academics With SEC Competition
The best example of this feature working is when Jordan Cunningham announced for the Commodores over Stanford on national signing day. Cunningham was obviously wowed by the academic programs at Vandy, plus he gets to face SEC competition which will help make him a better player.
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22. Northern Illinois
4 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Playing For Rod Carey
Carey is the new head coach for the Huskies and even though NIU isn't going to land any 5-star or many 4-star recruits, Carey is going to recruit guys who are solid football players and make them better men.
He'll also likely lead NIU to a few upsets during a recruit's career and there's a possibility that Carey could get NIU back to a BCS bowl before a recruit leaves DeKalb.
21. San Jose State
5 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Location and Weather
San Jose sits in Northern California and the weather isn't bad at all. So if a recruit doesn't like being cold and hates the snow, then the Spartan program is one he may want to check out.
He'll be able to experience to full gist of the college life in a good environment.
20. Oregon State
6 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Good Coaching and Pac-12 Play
The Beavers don't get as much coverage and lack the sexiness of their Civil War rivals, but this program has some good recruiting features. Corvallis isn't a bad place to go to school.
Mike Riley and his staff do a good job of coaching players and playing in the Pac-12 is a treat every week.
19. Texas
7 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Location
Texas has a ton of features working in its favor, but I think the top one for the Longhorns is their location. First, any school in Texas is at a recruiting advantage because football players basically grow on trees.
Texas makes its headquarters in Austin, which is said to be the "cool" city in the state for young people. So with Texas being a premier program nationally and residing in an "it" city in a state full of elite talent, of course recruiting will be easy.
18. Boise State
8 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Good Coaching and Their Blue Field
Chris Petersen and his staff don't land Top 25 classes, but the Broncos are almost always in contention for a BCS bowl. How does that happen?
Great coaching, that's how.
Playing on a blue field has to be interesting to recruits the Broncos go after, too.
17. Northwestern
9 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Academics
Northwestern's academic reputation is among the best in the country. If a recruit wants to stay in the Midwest for college, get a great degree and still play highly competitive football—then Northwestern should be high on his list.
Playing for a good and ethical coach like Pat Fitzgerald isn't a bad thing either.
16. Utah State
10 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Versatility
So maybe you're not a big time recruit, but you know you have the talent to be developed into a good college football player. On top of that, you prefer to go to school not in a big city.
Well, Utah State could be right up your alley as the Aggies get players to play with toughness and a chip on their shoulders.
15. Oklahoma
11 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Winning
The Sooners' program is one of the most successful in the country. Oklahoma wins and wins a lot.
There's talent on the roster every year, the fan base is large and recruits know if they go here they'll be playing in big games and winning most of them.
14. LSU
12 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Game-Day Atmosphere
From being a powerhouse program that is always among the favorites in both the SEC and BCS title hunts to having a player's coach of a head coach, LSU has a lot going for itself.
At the top, as far as recruiting features go, is the fan base and game-day atmosphere in Baton Rouge. The stadium's packed, fans are insanely passionate and there's even a live tiger on the sidelines.
13. Louisville
13 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Charlie Strong
Strong hasn't brought in a top 25 recruiting class yet to the 'Ville, but the guy is well liked and respected by many people. He's a great coach who knows how to strike good relationships with recruits.
The Cardinals moving to a BCS conference like the ACC should help with recruiting.
12. Kansas State
14 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Bill Snyder
Snyder may be up there in age, but the guy still gets a ton of love from his players. His assistants love him and he's both the current and all-time face of the K-State football program.
When you think Kansas State football, Snyder is the first person that comes to your head. His program is dominant on the recruiting trail, but recruits go there wanting to play hard for Snyder.
11. Clemson
15 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Community
The community in Clemson prides itself on being one big family and that's what a lot of recruits point to when they state why they signed with the Tigers.
Dabo Swinney and his staff do a great job of relaying the family feel and closeness of the program and community of the town in Clemson. Swinney and his staff also have a lot of spiritual faith.
10. Florida State
16 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Gold Standard
The Seminoles are one of the top programs in the country and no one can argue against that claim. FSU just has an elite combination of winning, history, great players, location and coaching.
Recruits go to FSU because they want to win and play for program that traditionally has a ton of talent and competes for BCS bowls.
9. Florida
17 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Gold Standard
The Gators, like their hated rivals, are simply a gold standard program that attracts talent. Florida wins a ton of games, plays in the SEC, has good tradition and the roster is loaded each fall.
There are other perks to the Gator program, but to sum them all up, "It's Florida." There's not much more that needs to be said.
8. South Carolina
18 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Steve Spurrier
You go to South Carolina and the Ol' Ball Coach surely is going to have you playing in some big games. You go here because you know Spurrier knows what he's doing as a coach and leader and that comforts you.
Spurrier also knows how to recruit and what exactly to say to both prospects and parents. Plus, you get to play in the SEC too.
7. Stanford
19 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Great Combination Of Academics and Football
Notre Dame used to be the top school that could offer a recruit a chance to earn a great academic degree while still playing prime time football.
Today, the top program in that regard is Stanford. David Shaw can provide players a chance to get an outstanding education while also playing in some pretty big games.
5 (t). Georgia
20 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: SEC Competition and Location
The Dawgs sit in the Peach State, which is among the top hot beds for recruits in college football. They also play in the SEC so many recruits from the state choose UGA because it gives them a chance to not be far from home while still playing in the mighty SEC.
Athens is said to be cool place too.
5 (t). Texas A&M
21 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Location and SEC Competition
Kevin Sumlin's offense, the fan base, game day atmosphere and Johnny Manziel are also top features the Aggies can boast to recruits.
Yet, with them being in a talent rich state like Texas but being able to tell Texas recruits "we play in the SEC" is huge. That claim has paid off with two straight excellent recruiting classes.
4. Notre Dame
22 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: The Notre Dame mystique and brand
Notre Dame is home to perhaps the most tradition-laden sports organization ever. Many all-time great players, coaches, moments, games and stories have come from this program.
Tack that on with a gorgeous campus, being a strong Catholic school and having excellent academics and the brand does the recruiting for you in South Bend.
3. Ohio State
23 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Urban Meyer
The Buckeyes have a good amount of tradition and history of winning, but right now their best recruiting feature is Meyer himself. The guy has made an immediate difference in recruiting for the Buckeyes and he's not going to stop anytime soon.
There are other advantages for going to OSU that also help, but Meyer is the unquestioned difference and catalyst.
2. Oregon
24 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Facilities and Playing Style
The facilities in Eugene are on another level and many people rave about them. Oregon seems to be always ahead of the curve with many technical things for a program.
The Ducks also play a style of football that is based on speed and it attracts recruits. Also, the uniform changes don't hurt at all either.
1. Alabama
25 of 25Best Recruiting Feature: Nick Saban
Like Ohio State, Alabama's best recruiting feature is its head coach. Saban is such an iconic figure in the game and, while he has his detractors, respect is not an issue for Saban.
Recruits view him as the guy to get them to the NFL. He's an excellent hands-on coach who knows how to teach X's and O's and runs the program with the business-minded approach of an NFL organization.
Saban's the top recruiting feature for the top program in the country.
Edwin Weathersby is the College Football Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. He 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 and writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (formerly 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.
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