College Football 2011: 10 Coaches Who Recruit Better Than They Teach Xs and Os
In order to be a great coach in college football you have to be able to recruit.
Some of the best coaches in the game are not the ones that can actually teach football well, but the ones who are able to create a scheme and fill that scheme with the players that they need for success.
Now, sometimes it might seem that the school brand itself is what really attracts the players, but keep in mind that it takes a coach to build that image, and it takes a great coach to sustain it.
That is the key to being a great coach in the NCAA.
Here's a list of 10 coaches who recruit better than teach Xs and Os.
10. Chip Kelly: Oregon
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It might be more convenient to name this slide…
Nike: Oregon.
The Ducks have done an absolutely incredible job at promoting their school and football organization, and the role that Nike plays in that should not be understated.
Chip Kelly still needs to go and sell his football team apart from the fancy jerseys and facilities though, so the job that he has done at getting big time players is worth mentioning.
He got his team to the National Championship game with players he recruited specifically to fit into his run-and-gun, speedy football philosophy.
9. Brady Hoke: Michigan
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Brady Hoke may have been able to cheat his way onto this list, but either way he has shown that he is a good recruiter.
Given the little time he had to work with at Michigan and the recruiting class he brought in, I think it would be a fair assessment to say that Brady Hoke is a much better recruiter than he is coach.
He came in to Michigan and said all the right things during his press conference. He then hit the recruiting trail and brought in a very impressive first class.
Now we just have to see if he can coach as well as he can recruit.
8. Brian Kelly: Notre Dame
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Brian Kelly at Notre Dame is another one of those instances in which the brand name of the school will automatically recruit players, and all he really has to do is coach them and keep them there.
That being said, as a coach he still has to know how to sell his football team to potential recruits, and make the product on the field attractive enough to bring in the big guns.
Kelly's had a rough go-round in his short time at Notre Dame, but he has still been able to bring in some good players.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Jim Tressel: Ohio State
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The “sweater vest” is another one of those great recruiting coaches, and his tenure at The Ohio State University has backed that claim up.
Year after year he is able to bring in some of the best players in the country, and when you consider the fairly simple offense that he runs, it's fair to say that much of his success can be credited to the great players that he brings into his system.
6. Joe Paterno: Penn State
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Considering that Joe-Pa might not even be aware of the fact that he is coaching a football team, I think it is fair to put him on this list.
Joking aside, it is incredible how many solid players Paterno can get in his old age.
He has always been a great recruiter and good with the players. Even though his overall coaching effectiveness has declined, he is still a great recruiter.
I know I’m going to get some flak for questioning his coaching ability, but come on, do you really think that he’s the one calling the plays out there?
5. Les Miles: LSU
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The “mad hatter” can get recruits just based off of his name.
Les Miles is known for his unconventional and risky coaching style, and we have seen it work for him and backfire on him.
This makes it easy for me to say that Miles is a far better recruiter than he is a coach
I don’t look at Miles and see a sound fundamental football coach, but I see somebody crazy enough to attract some very talented players to his team.
4. Mack Brown: Texas
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Mack Brown’s teams have been on a steady decline ever since Vince Young left the Longhorns.
Granted Texas can pretty much recruit itself. Brown still plays a huge role in the process though.
Texas is pretty much a gold mine for recruiting big time college football players, but with their competition getting better and other schools starting to improve their recruiting chances, Brown is somehow able to recruit one of the best classes every year.
3. Lane Kiffin: USC
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Lane Kiffin was probably the first person that I thought to put on this list, and he’s got one of the best reasons to be on it.
His program is still recovering from the mess that Pete Carroll left it in, and they still have NCAA regulations hindering their progress.
That being said, he is still able to attract some of the best players in the country.
You try telling these kids that they can come to your school and win, but it won’t mean anything.
2. Nick Saban: Alabama
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Saban could easily be on this list and on the opposite version on this list.
In my opinion Nick Saban is the best coach in college football, and he is incredibly solid at both recruiting and coaching.
His recruiting skills are tremendous though.
If you look at some of the talent that he has brought into Alabama since he’s been there it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that a big reason that he wins is because of his recruiting prowess.
The best coaches in football create a scheme that they like, and then they do all they can to bring the type of players they think will fit into their schemes.
That requires some intense recruiting skills, and I think that Saban is one of the best in the nation in that regard.
1. Jimbo Fisher: Florida State
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I almost don’t remember the last time Florida State was a powerhouse football team.
I do remember the last time they had a No.1 recruiting class though.
It so happened to be this year.
Fisher has had time to study under Bobby Bowden, and he also has put together a great staff to work with him on recruiting as well as on the field.
If Fisher’s coaching catches up to his recruiting, then we might see the Seminoles start making a push back to the top of the college football map.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
