College Football Recruiting 2012: Great Recruiters Without Much on Field Success

In college football recruiting, we have some top-notch recruiters who know how to attract top level recruits and convince them to come to their program. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program, and if you want to make it to a BCS bowl, you must be a skilled recruiter to attract talent.

Yet, there are a few coaches, or recruiters, who are elite on the trail, but don't seem to be able to do much with the talent after National Signing Day. For this read, we're going to list coaches who recruit well, but don't have much to show for it.

5. Lane Kiffin

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the USC Trojans during warm up against the California Golden Bears at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 16, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Here me out: I like Kiffin, as I think he's actually one of the better pure X's and O's offensive minds in the game. I think he's on his way to actually being a great head coach, but for now—emphasis on for now—he makes this list.

Kiffin has been an NFL head coach with the Raiders where he was 5-15, but Oakland played a lot better than many think. But at Tennessee, Kiffin talked a big game to get the Vols abuzz and won some heated SEC recruiting battles, but only went 7-6.

At USC, he got the Trojans arguably the No.1 class in 2010 and a top 10 class in 2011, but on the field only went 8-5. 

4. Butch Davis

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 04: Head coach Butch Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels against the LSU Tigers during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Georgia Dome on September 4, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

OK, well, we know what Davis did at Miami and that speaks for itself. He went 51-20 and ran the team in Coral Gables like an NFL franchise.

Yet Davis is only 28-23 at North Carolina, but has brought in some elite recruits. Robert Quinn, Marvin Austin, Greg Little, Dante Paige-Moss, Hakeem Nicks and Bruce Carter to name a few.

North Carolina was not a recruiting powerhouse before Davis arrived, but now they attract great talent and have hauled in some great classes. 

Davis is an excellent coach and an excellent recruiter. But he makes this list unfortunately.

3. Ron Zook

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CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 02: Head coach Ron Zook of the Illinois Fighting Illini watches as his team takes on the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Champaign, Illinois. Ohio State defeated Illinois 24-13. (Photo by Jonathan Dani

Zook is another coach on this list that I like and really did not want to put on this list.

He's one of the very most hardest working recruiting head coaches in the sport. Hands down. Zook goes flat-out H.A.M. on the trail and has scored some top level players like Martez Wilson, Arrellious Benn, D'Angelo McCray and Juice Williams...to Illinois of all places.

But an overall record with the Fighting Illini of 28-45 puts him on this list.

2. Rick Neuheisel

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TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Rick Neuheisel of the UCLA Bruins watches from the sidelines during the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on November 26, 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated th

Neuheisel came to UCLA a few years ago in 2007 and talked a big game. He vowed to get the Bruins back atop the Pac-10 and cease the "monopoly" that USC had over the recruiting trail in Southern California.

He seemed on his way, as Neuheisel has gotten a top five and top 10 class at UCLA in the four recruiting classes he's signed. But on the field, the Bruins are not too good. 

Slick Rick is just 15-22 so far, has finished no higher than eighth in conference and has been hearing whispers of a hot seat in 2011. 

1. Charlie Weis

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 28: Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis argues a call during their game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Weis is an outstanding offensive mind and one of the very best in the sport—college or pro. He's had success with the Patriots and Chiefs.

But as the head coach at Notre Dame, Weis was just 35-27 and had some good recruits. From Jimmy Clausen, Manti Te'o, Kyle Rudolph, Sam Young, Darius Fleming to Ethan Johnson, Weis had talent, attracted it and recruited very, very well in South Bend.

But on the field, it seemed like his biggest claim as Irish leader was the lost to USC. Weis lacked a signature win and lost 21 games in his final three years at the helm.