Ranking best recent assistant coaching hires

With no more major college head coach openings, the coaching carousel has officially stopped. But with the addition of a 10th on-field assistant job at FBS schools and the Early Signing Period triggering moves earlier than normal, the assistant coaching market is hotter than ever.

In the latest installment of our weekly series, we rank the best assistant coach hires at Power Five programs from the past week from a recruiting perspective and name our assistant coach hire of the week.

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell also weighs in on each of the week’s best hires.

NOTE: Not all hirings have been officially announced, but have been reported by multiple outlets.

GRADING COACHING HIRES: Assistant coaches last week | Head coaches

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

A favorite of recruits, Martin comes to the Wildcats from UCLA, where he was responsible for several major recruiting victories, including five-star cornerback Darnay Holmes. Martin had been with the Bruins since 2008, with stints at Washington and USC prior to that, so his level of familiarity with the Pac-12 isn’t in question.

Local Take: "His recruiting reputation speaks for itself, and for a program that has not had a five-star commitment since Mike Stoops was the head coach, it was in dire need of a recruiter like Martin. Because he has such strong ties to the areas Arizona has already been recruiting he can and has hit the ground running, adding another advantage for the Wildcats. He won’t help just as a recruiter, however, as the Bruins have consistently had better pass defenses than the Wildcats over the last several seasons. Arizona took a step in the right direction in 2017 with defensive coordinator Marcel Yates coaching the defensive backs and adding another veteran secondary coach to the staff should bring another boost to the cornerback position on the field as well. Arizona is a unique place to recruit to and coach at, and Kevin Sumlin hit a home run with the hiring of Martin." – Matt Moreno, GoAzCats.com

Farrell’s take: “His time at UCLA was highlighted by big-time recruiting and he’s known as one of the best recruiters in the country in Southern California. This is a huge get for Arizona as they will need to hit California hard and Martin is the guy who can help lead that charge.”

A young, charismatic coach with ties to the West Coast, Williams comes to Oregon after spending last season at Nebraska. In his short time with the Huskers he played a major role in the school’s recruiting efforts, including helping secure a commitment from eventual five-star Brendan Radly-Hiles. He’s also worked at Arizona, San Jose State, Washington and Nevada.

Farrell’s take: “His last two seasons at Arizona and especially Nebraska have earned him a reputation as one of the top young recruiters in the game. He’s an aggressive recruiter, very active on the trail and tireless, so Oregon is adding value here. He’s also been a recruiting coordinator.”

Seider comes to Penn State from Florida, but he really made a name for himself as a recruiter while at West Virginia. With deep ties to the state of Florida, he played a major role in recruiting and/or developing players such as Geno Smith and Wendell Smallwood.

Farrell’s take: “The lone holdover from the Florida staff for a bit, he’s now going to be a key addition to Penn State especially when it comes to recruiting in the South. He has ties to Florida and learned under some good coaches when it comes to competing for Florida talent.”

The son of former legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, Shane is a football lifer who is viewed by many to have a bright future in the game. He comes to the Sooners from Georgia, where he spent the past two years coaching tight ends and special teams. Prior to that he worked for his father with the Hokies, but he’s also coached at South Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.

Farrell’s take: Beamer is known as an excellent recruiter and has worked under some big names such as Phillip Fulmer and Steve Spurrier as well as his father, Frank Beamer. He was a key recruiter for Georgia under Kirby Smart and will be a key addition to the staff at Oklahoma.

Just a year ago, Canada was one of the most praised offseason hires when he left Pittsburgh to become the offensive coordinator at LSU. But his stay in Baton Rouge was short-lived. Nevertheless, his past successes can’t be denied. While at Pitt he helped turn Nathan Peterman into an NFL quarterback and also had successful stops at N.C. State, Wisconsin, Indiana and Northern Illinois.

Farrell’s take: “His year at LSU wasn’t a great one but his reputation not only as a great play-caller but also a good recruiter who finds fits for his system can’t be ignored. This is a big deal for Maryland and it should not only help the offense but the recruiting efforts.”

Enos spent last season at Arkansas but actually had a very short stay as a member of the Michigan staff this offseason. Despite his pledge to join the Wolverines, he jumped at the chance to join Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. Enos has also worked at Central Michigan, where he was the school’s head coach, as well as Michigan State, Cincinnati, Western Michigan and several others.

Farrell’s take: “A future Power Five head coach in my opinion, he did a great job developing the Allen brothers at Arkansas and was known as an excellent talent evaluator in Fayetteville and at his previous stints. He will be a good fit at Alabama as a coach and recruiter.”