11 Assistant Coaches Who Excel on 2014 Recruiting Trail

Each first Wednesday in February, a head coach steps up to the podium and talks about what a marvelous recruiting class his program signed. However, the assistant coaches are the actual people who do most of the legwork.

Some head coaches do not allow their assistants to speak with the media, so they do not get the attention they rightfully deserve. The top recruiters in the business are mainly people you have never heard of, until now.

An assistant coach at Auburn is dominating the recruiting trail. Texas A&M has one of the best classes in the country thanks to a pair of assistant coaches. Tennessee's recruiting resurrection under Butch Jones has been spearheaded by a pair of recruiting veterans, and Kentucky owes a great deal of gratitude to one of its assistants for the recruiting tenacity he has displayed.

Sonny Cumbie, Texas Tech

Texas Tech, which is under new leadership with Kliff Kingsbury at the helm, has gotten off to a great recruiting start. The Aggies have 14 commitments and a top-five class in the Big 12 rankings.

Cumbie, who coaches wide receivers in Lubbock, is responsible for six commitments, per 247Sports. Nearly half of Kingsbury's class has been constructed by the work of Cumbie, who once played quarterback for Texas Tech.

The Aggies may have a budding coaching star as their receivers coach. 

Ron Dugans, Louisville

Louisville, which will feature Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this season, has 15 commitments. According to 247Sports, seven of those pledges are thanks to Dugans.

Dugans, who coaches receivers for Charlie Strong, is a Florida State alum. So it should not surprise anyone that six of his seven commitments are from Florida.

With Dugans being responsible for instructing receivers, it should also be noted that four of his seven pledges are receivers.

Mike Elston, Notre Dame

Notre Dame has 11 commitments in its top-10 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Of those, five are credited to Elston, a Michigan alum who coaches the defensive line and coordinates special teams.

His biggest find is running back Elijah Hood. Elston was Hood's primary recruiter.

Mark Elder and Tommy Thigpen, Tennessee

Butch Jones and his staff have delivered recruiting results early in their tenure in Knoxville. Tennessee has 16 commitments, and 247Sports ranks its class at No. 3 in the country.

Jones has two great recruiting assistants in Elder and Thigpen, who combined are responsible for 11 of the Vols' 16 commitments. Elder, who coaches tight ends, was the primary recruiter for 4-star tight end commitment Daniel Helm.

Thigpen, who coaches linebackers, is an SEC recruiting veteran. He was the primary recruiter for 4-star cornerback commitment D'Andre Payne and assisted in landing 5-star running back Jalen Hurd. 

Darrell Wyatt, Texas

Texas, which is off to another great recruiting start, has 19 commitments. Per 247Sports, Mack Brown's class is ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Eight are thanks to Wyatt, who is a Kansas State alum. Wyatt, who wears many hats in Austin, coaches the receivers and also assists in coordinating the offense and recruiting.

Wyatt's biggest commitment is quarterback Jerrod Heard, the headliner of Texas' class.

Kirby Smart, Alabama

Smart, who will be a head coach soon, is no stranger to dominating the recruiting trail. The defensive coordinator is one of Alabama's ace recruiters.

Alabama has 11 commitments, and 247Sports says Smart is responsible for six. Smart, who went to Georgia, has worked his connections well in the Peach State. Three of his pledges are from the state. 

He was the primary recruiter for stud Crimson Tide pledges such as cornerback Kalvaraz Bessent and linebacker Shaun Hamilton. 

David Beaty and Clarence McKinney, Texas A&M

The Aggies, with 14 commitments, have the nation's best recruiting class, says 247Sports. Kevin Sumlin's program is picking up the talent it needs to ascend in the SEC.

Sumlin has to be proud of his two ace recruiters. Beaty and McKinney have combined for 10 commitments. More than 70 percent of Texas A&M's class has been built by these two assistants.

McKinney, who coordinates the offense, was the primary recruiter for 5-star outside linebacker Hoza Scott. He also assisted in convincing cornerback Nick Harvey to commit to the Aggies.

Beaty, who coaches the receivers, was the primary recruiter for safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner. 

Vince Marrow, Kentucky

Kentucky, with a class ranked No. 4 by Rivals.com, is enjoying its best recruiting cycle in years. Mark Stoops has 17 commitments, and the Wildcats are making a name for themselves on the trail.

Stoops, who is from Ohio, announced that the Wildcats would become a bigger presence on the state's recruiting trail when he was hired. Marrow, who coaches tight ends, heard the message loud and clear. All eight of his commitments are from Ohio.

Marrow, a Toledo alum, was the primary recruiter for speedy receiver Thaddeus Snodgrass. 

Dameyune Craig, Auburn

Craig, who previously coached at Florida State, is the No. 1-ranked recruiter in the country by 247Sports. Auburn has nine commitments and a top-25 class, with six commitments coming from the work of Craig.

Gus Malzahn also relies on Craig to help coordinate the offense. Since Craig is from Alabama and has recruiting connections around the state, he is Malzahn's ace recruiter.

Craig was the primary recruiter for top Auburn commitments such as linebacker Tre' Williams, defensive end Justin Thornton and offensive lineman Joshua Casher. 

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 and Cleveland Browns.