NSD 2018: Coaches who will be in spotlight

The back stretch to National Signing Day 2018 has commenced and despite the Early Signing Period creating a shallow player pool, the storylines are plentiful. At the center of many such stories are head coaches in pursuit of their programs’ lifeblood.

Today, Rivals.com takes a look at some coaches to watch as National Signing Day approaches.

MORE NSD '18: How this class ranks by position | Farrell's Three-Point Stance | NSD by the numbers

CLASS OF '18 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | State | Position | JUCO

Taggart will be one of the more intriguing case studies down the stretch. He carries the reputation of an elite recruiter and he’ll need to flex that muscle now to salvage a Florida State class that suffered from a slow start under former head coach Jimbo Fisher and the uncertainty of the coaching change that followed. Taggart has deep ties to the state and region, and could have a surprise or two up his sleeve in the days ahead. Nobody is expecting him to land a stunning class in his first year, as the odds are stacked against him, but it will be interesting to see what kind of diamonds he will be able to produce from the coal he was handed.

Rivals100 wide receiver Warren Thompson was committed to Taggart when he was the head coach at Oregon and there are a handful of other top-flight prospects that are still considering the Seminoles. Taggart won’t be judged on his first class, but he could certainly use it to inspire some confidence in both the FSU faithful and younger recruits that are paying attention.

This is not Saban’s best class. Not by a long shot. Still, college football’s most famous coach coming off a national championship season is as dangerous as ever. It seems possible that Alabama finishes outside the top five for the first time since 2007, but it also seems possible that the Tide steal some prospects considered to be leaning toward other programs.

Saban could do some work in Florida down the stretch and could conceivably swipe Patrick Surtain away from LSU, Nick Peteit-Frere away from Florida and land four-star wide receiver Jacob Copeland, who was committed to the Gators not so long ago.

The upcoming season means the world to Beaty and his recruiting tells that story. After posting a 3-33 record in his first three seasons at Kansas, the time to produce is now. And while Kansas’ class certainly isn’t one of the nation’s best, it’s not the disaster an outsider would assume it to be.

KU landed Rivals100 defensive back Corione Harris during the early signing period. He should help Beaty immediately, and the Kansas coach has targeted a number of junior college prospects to help him do so. The Jayhawks currently have 11 community college products in the fold and it seems as though Beaty and company aren’t done in those ranks.

Loading up on junior college prospects is a risk with which Kansas fans are familiar, but it’s clear that Beaty knows 2018 is the time to turn the corner. The work he does down the stretch may determine how the all-important season ahead unfolds.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Sumlin, who took over the Arizona job after the Early Signing Period. His job makes the one handed to Taggart look simple. Currently, the Wildcats rank 45th in the team rankings and nobody is expecting them to jump into the top 15.

That said, it’ll be interesting to see how Sumlin, a coach with a history of recruiting top Arizona talent and deep ties to Texas, does with his back against the wall. It’s hard to imagine that veteran head coach won’t steal a recruit or two down the stretch, as he seems poised to make noise early in Tucson.

Sumlin is selling an exciting offense with a budding star at quarterback. The fact that the Wildcats are coming off a winning season also helps his cause. The Wildcats are involved with junior college defensive end Dorian Gerald, West Coast four-star Tre’Shaun Harrison and in-state lineman Xavier Delgado, among others.

The splash hire of the offseason will be under the microscope from Day One. Everyone remembers Kelly’s Oregon teams for their speed and innovative offenses and UCLA hopes he’ll recreate the magic in Westwood. That obviously starts on the recruiting trail, where the Bruins currently rank 20th.

Kelly’s name carries a bit of cache on the West Coast, so a strong close isn’t out of the question. Kelly’s past success combined with the fact that he hasn’t coached a college game since January of 2013 makes him wildly intriguing

Kelly’s attention will be on Isaah Crocker, Jarrett Patterson, Elisha Guidry and others, as the West Coast seems to have more available top talent than some other regions that saw highly touted prospects sign during the early period.