Ranking Every SEC Coach by Their Recruiting Skills
Ranking each SEC coach by his recruiting prowess is like ranking each All-American by his numbers: No matter which order you choose, quality candidates will place near the bottom.
Such is the curse of being the most dominant recruiting conference in the country—and maybe of all time. The SEC's average grade in the 247Sports composite team rankings (244.4) over the past four cycles is almost 35 points higher than the second-best conference (Pac-12, 209.6) and over 40 points higher than No. 3 (Big 12, 199.6).
To grade this list, then, we had to make some subjective calls. But most of it was grounded in numbers.
How have head coaches recruited at their current schools? How did they recruit before that? And almost as important, how did their current schools recruit before they got there?
Sample size was also a heavy factor, so newer head coaches have a chance to ascend as they spend more time in the SEC.
Sound off below and let us know what you think.
14. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt
1 of 14
Two-Year Recruiting Grade: 182.4 Power Five Rank: 47*
Derek Mason isn't a bad recruiter; he's just stuck in a conference with great ones. He helped land the No. 7 class in the country as defensive coordinator at Stanford (2012), and in his first half-class at Vanderbilt (2014) he lured defensive end Nifae Lealao, the No. 103 player in the country, from the Cardinal to the Commodores.
Lealao was the highest-rated signee in Vanderbilt history.
*Where it would finish over the past four years, not the past two.
13. Jim McElwain, Florida
2 of 14
One-Year Recruiting Grade: 228.4 Power Five Rank: 22*
Jim McElwain was part of the Nick Saban recruiting machine at Alabama, checking in most notably as the primary recruiter for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the No. 7 overall player in the class of 2011.
It's hard to gauge what McElwain can do as a head coach after three-and-a-half classes at Colorado State and one half-class at Florida, but the early returns seem all right. Even though he couldn't sign defensive end Byron Cowart, he salvaged offensive tackle Martez Ivey and defensive end CeCe Jefferson—both top-10 overall players—despite Will Muschamp gunning for them at Auburn.
*Where it would finish over the past four years, not in 2015.
12. Bret Bielema, Arkansas
3 of 14
Three-Year Recruiting Grade: 213.3 Power Five Rank: 26*
No matter where he coaches, Bret Bielema will always attract his type of players. If you're an oversized lineman or a running back who cares about numbers, this is the guy for you.
Bielema landed his second top-25 and third straight top-30 class in 2015, highlighting the group with six top-250 players. If the Razorbacks continue their upward momentum—both on the field and off—next season, their coach will rise up these rankings fast.
*Where it would finish over the past four years, not the past three.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
11. Gary Pinkel, Missouri
4 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 202.5 Power Five Rank: 32
Missouri is not and never will be a recruiting powerhouse. But it is and for a long time has been a solid destination. A lot of the credit for that goes to Gary Pinkel, who keeps staff turnover to a minimum to build trust with high school players and their families.
But what separates Pinkel (slightly) from Bielema is the way he signs blue-chip recruits. Columbia, Missouri, is not the sexiest town in America, but the Tigers signed the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2012, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, and just convinced 5-star defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. to stay at home.
10. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
5 of 14
Three-Year Recruiting Grade: 204.4 Power Five Rank: 31*
Recruiting to Kentucky—for football—is difficult. Before Mark Stoops arrived, the Wildcats had just landed the No. 50 (2012), No. 37 (2011), No. 47 (2010) and No. 43 (2009) classes in the country.
But Stoops made quick work of fixing that, cracking the top 35 with his first half-class (No. 34, 2013) and rocketing up to No. 22 in his first full cycle (2014). "We're definitely not afraid to compete with anybody in the country," Stoops told reporters after signing day in 2014.
It seems that kids have noticed.
*Where it would finish over the past four years, not the past three.
9. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
6 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 218.9 Power Five Rank: 22
Dan Mullen plays the hand he's given. Knowing most blue-chippers won't come to Starkville, Mississippi, he scours the state for unheralded prospects and recruits to his specific system.
In this way, he's a lot like the head coach at the other MSU: Michigan State's Mark Dantonio. Also like Dantonio, he has parlayed on-field success to the recruiting trail and just landed the No. 18 class in the country, which was needed after a poor cycle in 2014 (No. 35).
8. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
7 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 236.6 Power Five Rank: 19
Who in their right mind would not want to play for Steve Spurrier? The Old Ball Coach has a proven record of success at multiple schools and turned South Carolina into an unthinkable SEC powerhouse.
The Gamecocks signed a top-20 class in 2015, doing so despite speculation that Spurrier might retire. A deep group of players decommitted, but Spurrier kept South Carolina competitive. As long as the OBC is on the sidelines, players will want to come play for him.
7. Gus Malzahn, Auburn
8 of 14
Three-Year Recruiting Grade: 269.1 Power Five Rank: 7*
Only in the SEC would Gus Malzahn—one of the best recruiters in the country—need to sneak into the top half of the conference.
Alas, that says more about Malzahn's competition than it does Malzahn. He finished especially well this past cycle, teaming up with former Florida coaches Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson to pillage the Sunshine State and finish with the No. 9 class in the country.
*Where it would finish over the past four years, not the past three.
6. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
9 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 237.6 Power Five Rank: 18
Spare us your conspiracy theories, your unsourced allegations and your tweets about #TheNetwork, and just admit that Hugh Freeze can recruit. What he did in 2013 was the stuff of legends.
Specifically, that's when Freeze signed the No. 8 class in the country, dotting the group with four top-32 overall players: defensive end Robert Nkemdiche (No. 1), offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (No. 4), wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (No. 14) and safety Tony Conner (No. 32).
Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated wrote a thorough feature on how Freeze brought the class together, which cynics assumed blindly was through improper benefits, even though there is no evidence Ole Miss did anything wrong—and definitely not anything other teams weren't doing. Freeze is just good at his job.
5. Butch Jones, Tennessee
10 of 14
Three-Year Recruiting Grade: 258.2 Power Five Rank: 12*
Butch Jones has engineered a stunning recruiting turnaround, making Tennessee one of the sexiest destinations for high school players. His two full classes in Knoxville have ranked No. 7 (2014) and No. 4 (2015) in the country, whereas the last class before him ranked No. 20.
Tennessee has its perks, chief among them the legacy card, which Jones has played on defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie, safety Todd Kelly Jr., outside linebacker Dillon Bates, et al. But it's not always so straightforward, and Jones has established himself as one of the best deal-closers in the sport.
*Where it would finish over the past four years, not the past three.
4. Mark Richt, Georgia
11 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 269.8 Power Five Rank: 6
Mark Richt has turned Georgia into one of the most consistent recruiting powers in the country. Of course, the Bulldogs had little trouble signing players before him; he just took it to another level.
Thirteen of Richt's 15 classes have finished in the top 10, and the only two that haven't (2010 and 2013) finished one spot down at No. 11. The 2015 class was bolstered by defensive tackle Trent Thompson, the No. 1 overall player in the country, and finished at No. 6.
3. Les Miles, LSU
12 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 278.3 Power Five Rank: 4
Les Miles is college football's Freddie Freeman: a three-hole batter who hits more doubles than home runs.
To flesh that out, LSU ranks No. 7 in the country with six 5-stars signed since 2011 but No. 2 with 57 4-stars over that same span.
Miles is capable of popping, though, as he proved by signing running back Leonard Fournette, the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2014. Nick Saban pillaged some 5-stars from Louisiana in that cycle, but Miles has done enough over the years to earn a pass.
2. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
13 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 265.5 Power Five Rank: 9
LSU has a higher raw grade than Texas A&M over the past four seasons, but Kevin Sumlin earns the nod over Miles for two major reasons. First, his initial class (2012) was incomplete, as he was hired just a few months before signing day. And second, he took A&M past its previous ceiling, whereas Miles inherited an established power.
Famous for his smile and his Swagcopter, Sumllin has also done the unthinkable and displaced Texas from alpha-dog status in the Alamo State. The Longhorns (No. 10) finished one spot ahead of the Aggies (No. 11) in 2015, but Texas has never been more wide open.
1. Nick Saban, Alabama
14 of 14
Four-Year Recruiting Grade: 315.1 Power Five Rank: 1
Alabama has won five straight recruiting national championships and doesn't show signs of fatigue. Nick Saban has built a machine despite losing frequent assistant coaches the past near-decade.
Over the past four cycles alone, Bama has signed 21 5-stars and 56 4-stars. Its blue-chip ratio of 75.5 percent is off the charts. There's a reason Steve Spurrier said Saban "[has got to be] the greatest recruiter in the history of college football" at SEC Media Days.
Honestly, it's not all that close.
Note: All recruiting info refers to the 247Sports composite rankings.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
