The 10 Greatest College Football Recruiting Head Coaches of All Time
They say in today's version of college football winning is the difference between a coach getting fired and having a long tenure at a program. They also say the key to winning is top-notch recruiting. Recruiting is lifeblood of any and every program in the country, and attracting top talent is key to a program's success.
A head coach's role in the recruiting phase of the program can vary, but as the face of the program, they play a large role in various ways. There have been some head coaches who have just flat-out been dominant as recruiters.
We have the top 10 of all time.
10. Rick Neuheisel
1 of 10
Make no mistake about it, Neuheisel was a feared recruiter when he was at Colorado and Washington. He's very charismatic with young players and has a swagger that you just love when you meet him in person. This works really well when you're 17 and impressionable, especially when he was in Seattle.
He signed prep star after prep star at U-Dub and had the roster stocked with talent. If it weren't for his infamous March Madness mishap and lying about interviewing with the 49ers, Neuheisel would be a bigger name in the college ranks.
While he suffered a tough time on the trail this 2011 cycle, he proved he can attract talent to his alma mater of UCLA by securing a top 10 class last season.
9. Butch Davis
2 of 10
Davis has proven at North Carolina that it wasn't just the Miami name that was pulling recruits to the Canes. His prowess on the trail also was a draw. He's been able to get talent like Marvin Austin, Greg Little, Hakeem Nicks, Robert Quin and Bruce Carter to come to Chapel Hill.
He even had UNC as serious finalists for Savon Huggins, Curtis Grant and Stephone Anthony among others. Even Jadeveon Clowney gave the Tar Heels a look.
Davis is one of the best recruiting head coaches on the trail, and really looks to make sound evaluations and get after players. His days in Miami are legendary as his prowess at UNC is only adding to his all-around recruiting legend.
8. Steve Spurrier
3 of 10
Spurrier really does a good job of selling himself to players. He knows he's accomplished a lot and is a legend and really works that angle on players, by them knowing what he's done. At Florida, he was able to get talent like Rex Grossman, Gerard Warren, Lito Shepard, Ike Hilliard, Reidel Anthony and Fred Taylor among a plethora of other ridiculously talented players.
Even at South Carolina he's been able to land Stephen Garcia, Alshon Jeffrey, Stephon Gilmore, Cliff Mathews, Marcus Lattimore and Jadeveon Clowney. Spurrier has proven over the years that he can recruit in Columbia, and last year he proved he could win there too.
Not only one of the greatest recruiting head coaches of all time, The Ol' Ball Coach one the best college head coaches of all time.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Jim Tressel
4 of 10
When Tressel got the job at Ohio State, many speculated that the job was too big for him as he was making the jump from 1-AA (at the time) Youngstown State. But Tressel shut all of that up by winning a national title in his second year in Columbus.
He has cleaned up around the Midwest, established a pipeline in Florida and plucked players nationally as well. Tressel has gotten elite talent like Mike Adams, Braxton Miller, Boon Herron, Michel Brewster, Cam Heyward, Terrelle Pryor, Santonio Holmes, Donte Whitner and AJ Hawk.
I'm not sure if it's the sweater vest, his grandfather-like demeanor or the fact that he's a darn good coach, but players flock to Tressel.
6. Urban Meyer
5 of 10
Meyer stepped down and gave up control of Florida's football program, but there is no question he's one the greatest recruiting head coaches of all time. He hauled in numerous top five recruiting classes that included players like Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, John Brantley, Cam Newton, Ronald Powell. Aaron Hernandez and the Pouncey twins.
He always was right smack dab thick in recruiting wards in the SEC and proved quickly after being hired from Utah that he had the willpower, want to and toughness to handle his business in the South. Meyer was keen on evaluating players who fit his offensive scheme and knew that speed was key in the SEC.
Debate all you want whether he will return to coaching or not, but I think he did a great job as an analyst for ESPN on NSD.
5. Les Miles
6 of 10
Miles really does a good job of evaluating and identifying players he likes and getting after them early. He rarely waits until a player's senior year to come on strong, as he likes to start recruiting in a kid's sophomore and junior season and be in the mix until they decide.
Miles is a charismatic figure in the home visits phase and is great at recruiting a player's prime decision maker. He's been able to land talent like Patrick Peterson, Joe Barksdale, Al Woods, Ryan Perrilloux, Terrance Tolliver, Anthony Johnson, Tyson Jackson and La'El Collins.
It's just about a sure thing that he is now never going to Michigan, which spells trouble for the rest of the SEC as he will only dig his heels in further in the South's recruiting trail.
4. Nick Saban
7 of 10
Saban runs his program like an NFL team. He's the head coach and general manager, while his assistants are both on field coaches and area scouts. He evaluates players thoroughly on film, ranks them on a board and offers them according to his and his staff's rankings.
He knows what to tell a recruit, knows when to be honest and really looks for smart football players who are character guys. He's hauled in talent like Mark Ingram, Dre Kirkpatrick, Cyrus Kouandjio, Barrett Jones, Rolando McClain, Nico Johnson, Courtney Upshaw, Kareem Jackson, Trent Richardson and Julio Jones, among a host of others.
I personally believe Saban is the best head coach in the game today, recruiting wise and overall.
3. Mack Brown
8 of 10
What Brown and Texas do in recruiting is remarkable. They really build their program around Texas talent and only leave the state for a player who has Texas ties or who they feel is just too good not to go after. Brown could probably run for governor in Texas and win. He's that popular, and his people skills work extremely well in recruiting.
He's a great CEO and manager to work for and he makes sure you feel comfortable around him, which puts young 17-year-old teenagers at ease.
He's gotten elite talent like Cedric Benson, Chris Simms, Roy Williams, Malcolm Brown, Aaron Ross, Sergio Kindle and Jackson Jeffcoat just to toss around a few names, among others.
2. Pete Carroll
9 of 10
The run that Pete Carroll had at USC was one of, if not the greatest, runs in college football history. The Trojans not only dominated in recruiting but also on the field. Carroll was not even the third choice for USC, and many fans were furious he got the job. He took heat for a 6-6 season in his first year, but never looked back.
Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart were two of his recruits who won Heismans, while Carson Palmer won the trophy under Carroll's watch. USC had legendary talent like Shaun Cody, LenDale White, Mark Sanchez, Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Sam Baker, Jeff Byers, Kenechi Udeze, Mike Williams and Matt Barkley, all who signed under Carroll's recruitment.
The list of players go on and on, as Carroll got the Trojans numerous No.1 recruiting classes and stocked the roster with talent year in and year out. One could easily make a case for him as the No.1 guy on this list.
1. Bobby Bowden
10 of 10
No one closed like Bobby Bowden. No one. Period. Once Bowden got in a player's home for a sit down, in-house visit, it was over. He was charming, charismatic, funny and has a Southern coolness about him. In the 1990s, it was Florida State that the dominant team on the recruiting trail. Miami and other teams were hot on the trail too, but FSU had it going.
Walter Jones, Peter Warrick, Travis Minor, Michael Boulware, Warrick Dunn, Anquan Boldin, Peter Boulware, Broderick Bunkley, Terrell Buckley, Dexter Carter, Greg Carr, Buster Davis, Antonio Cromartie, Darnell Dockett and Ernie Sims speak for themselves. And that's just the tip of the iceberg Bowden signed through the years.
Case closed. Hands down. Bobby Bowden is the greatest recruiting head coach of all time.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
