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Top 10 college recruiters
These persistent coaches have a way with prospects
Posted: Thursday December 22, 2005 11:59AM; Updated: Thursday December 22, 2005 3:21PM
Former Colorado star Eric Bieniemy has become one of the top recruiters in the country.
Former Colorado star Eric Bieniemy has become one of the top recruiters in the country.
Tim DeFrisco/Getty Images
RELATED
• Scout.com's Hot 100 Recruits
• NEWBERG: Top 10 QB prospects
• Scout.com's Top 25 Recruiting Classes
ADVERTISEMENT
While the college football world has been largely quiet the past few weeks, behind the scenes, most coaches have been busy crisscrossing the country, working the phones and frantically writing letters and cards in an effort to woo the nation's top high-school recruits. Following an NCAA-mandated "dead period" the rest of this month, they'll be back at it most of January, culminating with national signing day Feb. 1, when official letters-of-intent start rolling off the fax machine.
For many, recruiting is a necessary evil, a seemingly endless nuisance in which the future of a program hangs on the whims of often immature teenagers. The coaches that do it best, however -- the ones who get their man more often than not -- are the ones who truly enjoy it. They have the ability to not only evaluate talent, but also foster relationships with prospects, sweet-talk family members and shine as salesmen.
After consulting with numerous insiders who follow the process closely, SI.com has identified the 10 best recruiters in college football today:
Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach/recruiting coordinator, UCLA: The former Colorado star and Los Angeles native has significantly boosted the Bruins' efforts in inner-city L.A. since bolting Colorado in 2003 (not coincidentally, the Buffs' SoCal pipeline has dissipated since his departure). Bieniemy was largely responsible for landing star tailback Maurice Drew at UCLA and current Wisconsin standout Brian Calhoun (formerly of Colorado).
Tom Bradley, defensive coordinator, Penn State: Joe Paterno's chief Western Pennsylvania recruiter for more than 25 years, the list of All-Americas Bradley has landed stretches from Shane Conlan to O.J. McDuffie, LaVarArrington and Brandon Short to Paul Posluszny. One of last year's gems, cornerback Justin King, cited Bradley's persistence -- including 30 hand-written letters in one day -- in his decision to come to Happy Valley.
Mack Brown, head coach, Texas: The Longhorns have been a recruiting juggernaut since Brown's arrival in 1998, twice landing consensus No. 1 classes (1999 and 2002). His 2006 class could finish as high as No. 2. Taking advantage of a rich talent pool in Texas, Brown and his staff often land their top targets early and build momentum from those announcements. While assistants have come and gone, Brown, a personable, father-figure type, has been the constant.
Pete Carroll, head coach, USC: Even before the Trojans were competing annually for national championships, Carroll took the recruiting world by storm, turning long-dormant program into the hip destination for elite prospects. His passion for recruiting, infectious personality and NFL background score major points with today's players, as does his track record of playing true freshmen, including Shaun Cody, Mike Williams and Reggie Bush, in significant roles.
Rodney Garner, assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator,Georgia: How vital is Garner to the Bulldogs' success? Last January, head coach MarkRicht canceled a trip to Hawaii, where he was to coach the Hula Bowl, to dissuade Garner from accepting a job at LSU. The 39-year-old Garner has been instrumental in building a virtual wall around Georgia, a state he previously raided during stints at Auburn and Tennessee.
Rob Ianello, receivers coach/recruiting coordinator, Notre Dame: Charlie Weis' smartest move to date was hiring Ianello away from Wisconsin. The former Alabama and Arizona assistant has been well known in recruiting circles for most of his 18-year career, serving as recruiting coordinator at every stop. He's already made his presence felt in South Bend, landing several highly-regarded prospects (safety Sergio Brown, QB Demetrius Jones) for what will likely be a top-five class.
Urban Meyer, head coach, Florida: The first-year Gators coach wasted no time making his presence felt on the recruiting trail -- his 2006 class, which includes commitments from Scout.com's top-rated receiver (Percy Harvin) and No. 3 quarterback, (Tim Tebow), is considered the best in the country to date. The youthful 41-year-old makes the most of modern technology, sending prospects daily text messages and equipping his entire staff with Blackberrys.
Ed Orgeron, head coach, Ole Miss: One longtime recruiting analyst called Orgeron "the best recruiter I've ever seen" during his four-year stint as Pete Carroll's recruiting coordinator at USC. The relentless Orgeron, known for his 11th-hour snags of prospects who seemed to be leaning elsewhere, was instrumental in the Trojans' recruiting dominance, and he's already landed two U.S. Army All-Americas, linemen Michael Oher and Jerrell Powe, in less than a year at Ole Miss.
Kevin Steele, executive head coach/linebackers, Florida State: The former Baylor head coach joined Bobby Bowden's staff two weeks before signing day in 2003 and instantly swayed the nation's No. 1 prospect that year, linebacker Ernie Sims, to come to Tallahassee. Bowden has since assigned him to the lucrative South Florida territory, where the 'Noles have made significant progress the past two years. Steele's other prize catches include WR Fred Rouse, RB Antone Smith and CB J.R. Bryant.
Dave Wannstedt, head coach, Pittsburgh: Known as a relentless recruiter in the '80s at Pitt, Oklahoma State, USC and Miami, Wannstedt has picked up right where he left off, assembling what is currently considered a national top-five class. By reconnecting with Western Pennsylvania high schools, he had 17 commitments by the end of summer, including national top-100 prospects Dorin Dickerson, Nate Byham and Kevin Collier. Now, let's see if he can coach them.
While the aforementioned Top 10 work for fairly high-profile programs, some of the most respected recruiters are the ones who face a tougher sell. Here are 10 more of the best in the business, many of whom often fall into the "under the radar" category:
John Blake, defensive line coach, Nebraska
Leon Burtnett, linebackers coach, Washington State
Mario Cristobal, tight ends coach, Miami
Lester Erb, receivers/special teams coach, Iowa
Pat Fitzgerald, linebackers coach, Northwestern
David Kelly, associate head coach/wide receivers coach, Duke
Lane Kiffin, offensive coordinator, USC
Mike Locksley, offensive coordinator/tight ends coach, Illinois
Joker Phillips, offensive coordinator, Kentucky
Lance Thompson, defensive coordinator, Central Florida
Finally, while only a few head coaches made the original top 10, there are plenty of others who have consistently produced top classes while taking an active role in the process. They include:
Mike Bellotti, Oregon
Bobby Bowden, Florida State
Lloyd Carr, Michigan
Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee
Joe Paterno, Penn State
Mike Shula, Alabama
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Mike Stoops, Arizona
Jim Tressel, Ohio State
These persistent coaches have a way with prospects
Posted: Thursday December 22, 2005 11:59AM; Updated: Thursday December 22, 2005 3:21PM
Former Colorado star Eric Bieniemy has become one of the top recruiters in the country.
Former Colorado star Eric Bieniemy has become one of the top recruiters in the country.
Tim DeFrisco/Getty Images
RELATED
• Scout.com's Hot 100 Recruits
• NEWBERG: Top 10 QB prospects
• Scout.com's Top 25 Recruiting Classes
ADVERTISEMENT
While the college football world has been largely quiet the past few weeks, behind the scenes, most coaches have been busy crisscrossing the country, working the phones and frantically writing letters and cards in an effort to woo the nation's top high-school recruits. Following an NCAA-mandated "dead period" the rest of this month, they'll be back at it most of January, culminating with national signing day Feb. 1, when official letters-of-intent start rolling off the fax machine.
For many, recruiting is a necessary evil, a seemingly endless nuisance in which the future of a program hangs on the whims of often immature teenagers. The coaches that do it best, however -- the ones who get their man more often than not -- are the ones who truly enjoy it. They have the ability to not only evaluate talent, but also foster relationships with prospects, sweet-talk family members and shine as salesmen.
After consulting with numerous insiders who follow the process closely, SI.com has identified the 10 best recruiters in college football today:
Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach/recruiting coordinator, UCLA: The former Colorado star and Los Angeles native has significantly boosted the Bruins' efforts in inner-city L.A. since bolting Colorado in 2003 (not coincidentally, the Buffs' SoCal pipeline has dissipated since his departure). Bieniemy was largely responsible for landing star tailback Maurice Drew at UCLA and current Wisconsin standout Brian Calhoun (formerly of Colorado).
Tom Bradley, defensive coordinator, Penn State: Joe Paterno's chief Western Pennsylvania recruiter for more than 25 years, the list of All-Americas Bradley has landed stretches from Shane Conlan to O.J. McDuffie, LaVarArrington and Brandon Short to Paul Posluszny. One of last year's gems, cornerback Justin King, cited Bradley's persistence -- including 30 hand-written letters in one day -- in his decision to come to Happy Valley.
Mack Brown, head coach, Texas: The Longhorns have been a recruiting juggernaut since Brown's arrival in 1998, twice landing consensus No. 1 classes (1999 and 2002). His 2006 class could finish as high as No. 2. Taking advantage of a rich talent pool in Texas, Brown and his staff often land their top targets early and build momentum from those announcements. While assistants have come and gone, Brown, a personable, father-figure type, has been the constant.
Pete Carroll, head coach, USC: Even before the Trojans were competing annually for national championships, Carroll took the recruiting world by storm, turning long-dormant program into the hip destination for elite prospects. His passion for recruiting, infectious personality and NFL background score major points with today's players, as does his track record of playing true freshmen, including Shaun Cody, Mike Williams and Reggie Bush, in significant roles.
Rodney Garner, assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator,Georgia: How vital is Garner to the Bulldogs' success? Last January, head coach MarkRicht canceled a trip to Hawaii, where he was to coach the Hula Bowl, to dissuade Garner from accepting a job at LSU. The 39-year-old Garner has been instrumental in building a virtual wall around Georgia, a state he previously raided during stints at Auburn and Tennessee.
Rob Ianello, receivers coach/recruiting coordinator, Notre Dame: Charlie Weis' smartest move to date was hiring Ianello away from Wisconsin. The former Alabama and Arizona assistant has been well known in recruiting circles for most of his 18-year career, serving as recruiting coordinator at every stop. He's already made his presence felt in South Bend, landing several highly-regarded prospects (safety Sergio Brown, QB Demetrius Jones) for what will likely be a top-five class.
Urban Meyer, head coach, Florida: The first-year Gators coach wasted no time making his presence felt on the recruiting trail -- his 2006 class, which includes commitments from Scout.com's top-rated receiver (Percy Harvin) and No. 3 quarterback, (Tim Tebow), is considered the best in the country to date. The youthful 41-year-old makes the most of modern technology, sending prospects daily text messages and equipping his entire staff with Blackberrys.
Ed Orgeron, head coach, Ole Miss: One longtime recruiting analyst called Orgeron "the best recruiter I've ever seen" during his four-year stint as Pete Carroll's recruiting coordinator at USC. The relentless Orgeron, known for his 11th-hour snags of prospects who seemed to be leaning elsewhere, was instrumental in the Trojans' recruiting dominance, and he's already landed two U.S. Army All-Americas, linemen Michael Oher and Jerrell Powe, in less than a year at Ole Miss.
Kevin Steele, executive head coach/linebackers, Florida State: The former Baylor head coach joined Bobby Bowden's staff two weeks before signing day in 2003 and instantly swayed the nation's No. 1 prospect that year, linebacker Ernie Sims, to come to Tallahassee. Bowden has since assigned him to the lucrative South Florida territory, where the 'Noles have made significant progress the past two years. Steele's other prize catches include WR Fred Rouse, RB Antone Smith and CB J.R. Bryant.
Dave Wannstedt, head coach, Pittsburgh: Known as a relentless recruiter in the '80s at Pitt, Oklahoma State, USC and Miami, Wannstedt has picked up right where he left off, assembling what is currently considered a national top-five class. By reconnecting with Western Pennsylvania high schools, he had 17 commitments by the end of summer, including national top-100 prospects Dorin Dickerson, Nate Byham and Kevin Collier. Now, let's see if he can coach them.
While the aforementioned Top 10 work for fairly high-profile programs, some of the most respected recruiters are the ones who face a tougher sell. Here are 10 more of the best in the business, many of whom often fall into the "under the radar" category:
John Blake, defensive line coach, Nebraska
Leon Burtnett, linebackers coach, Washington State
Mario Cristobal, tight ends coach, Miami
Lester Erb, receivers/special teams coach, Iowa
Pat Fitzgerald, linebackers coach, Northwestern
David Kelly, associate head coach/wide receivers coach, Duke
Lane Kiffin, offensive coordinator, USC
Mike Locksley, offensive coordinator/tight ends coach, Illinois
Joker Phillips, offensive coordinator, Kentucky
Lance Thompson, defensive coordinator, Central Florida
Finally, while only a few head coaches made the original top 10, there are plenty of others who have consistently produced top classes while taking an active role in the process. They include:
Mike Bellotti, Oregon
Bobby Bowden, Florida State
Lloyd Carr, Michigan
Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee
Joe Paterno, Penn State
Mike Shula, Alabama
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Mike Stoops, Arizona
Jim Tressel, Ohio State
