ACC spotlight: Five recruiters off to hot starts to 2018

Assistant coaches are more important than ever to the recruiting process, and in the ACC the right assistant can be key to a school’s success. We break down five assistant coaches who are helping their schools to hot starts in the 2018 recruiting class.

MORE: Big Ten recruiters off to fast starts in 2018 | SEC recruiters off to fast starts

Biggest get: Rocky Shelton

Jones is an energetic recruiter that a lot of players and coaches love to talk to. His Twitter account is one of the most interesting to follow and prospects seem to gravitate toward him and his message. Jones was able to pull Shelton out of powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas and keep him away from Florida State, LSU, Tennessee and North Carolina. Jones also went into Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer, another major talent producing school, and got a commitment from defensive back Taiyon Palmer.

Biggest get: AJ Lytton

Haggins has proven he’s one of the best recruiters in the country and can pull a prospect out of virtually any state. He’s off to a great start this year with commitments from Lytton and Robert Cooper. Lytton, a Rivals100 prospect out of Upper Marlboro (Md.) Wise, had long favored the Seminoles and cited his relationship with Haggins as one of the driving forces behind his commitment. Cooper had similar things to say about Haggins and his recruiting style. Haggins was able to pull Cooper’s commitment in late 2016.

Biggest get: Lorenzo Lingard

A five-star running back, Lingard is the foundation of Miami’s top-ranked class. It wasn’t a one-man effort to land the elite back, but Brown found himself at the center of the process that kicked off the Hurricanes’ impressive run. The fact that Lingard has seemingly shut his recruitment down totally at such an early juncture is also a product of how well the Hurricanes recruited him. In addition to landing Lingard, Brown also had a hand in landing Rivals100 prospects Cameron Davis and Mark Pope.

Biggest get: Josh Jobe

Banda is building quite a reputation as an elite South Florida recruiter and the work he’s doing this cycle will only solidify such a narrative. He led the way on the Hurricanes’ pursuit of elite defensive back Jobe, landed Randy Russell from Miami’s Carol City High School and pitched in with an assist on Lingard. Banda’s work with Guvan Hall shouldn’t be overlooked, either, as the four-star prospect has unlimited upside and was being pursued by a number of other power programs.

Biggest get: James Cook

Brewster’s name is commonplace on lists like these and for good reason. Brewster leads Florida State’s effort in South Florida and has had wild success doing so in recent years. The commitment of five-star running back James Cook, the younger sibling of Dalvin Cook, has highlighted Brewster’s work this cycle. He also has secured a pledge from massive defensive end Kayode Oladele. Brewster’s work in the region is probably not near done at this juncture, as there’s plenty left for FSU to pursue.