Top 10 assistant coaching hires of December

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Most of the attention in the coaching football world over the past month has been paid to head coaching hires and the Early Signing Period. But while they may not have made as many headlines, several key assistant coaching hires were made as well, many of which will have a major impact on how the 2019 class finishes and how several schools will do on the trail in 2020.

Here’s a ranking of the 10 best hires in December from a recruiting perspective, with some commentary from National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell.

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Breakdown: USC made the splashiest hire of the offseason when it added Kingsbury as its offensive coordinator following his dismissal at Texas Tech. The offensive guru is expected to make a major impact both on the field and in recruiting, where he has a track record of excellent quarterback evaluations. Some of the past signal-callers he recruited include Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield and Davis Webb.

Farrell’s Take: “Kingsbury is a home run hire when it comes to recruiting because he has a very good reputation as an offensive mind and he’s young and relates well with talent. He’s done a solid job recruiting at every stop and can brag on developing Mahomes to any quarterback out there.”

Breakdown: After a long wait, Willie Taggart got his man at offensive coordinator when Briles was officially hired following Houston’s bowl game. Briles has a prolific record of high-powered offenses over his past stops at Houston, Florida Atlantic and Baylor. Briles' hire is somewhat controversial because of his time at Baylor under his father, Art, who was fired for his role in the school’s highly-publicized scandal. As a recruiter Briles has helped land players such as Jarrett Stidham and KD Cannon.

Farrell’s Take: “Briles is a controversial hire because of his last name and the scandal at Baylor but when it comes to recruiting, he did a great job under his father in Waco. It remains to be seen whether his last name will hurt his recruiting efforts but I doubt it does. Overall, I think this is a very good hire.”

Breakdown: The former head coach at Colorado, MacIntyre was fired by the Buffaloes after failing to lead the team to a bowl game for the second consecutive season. Prior to that he helped resurrect the program, through both coaching and excellent talent evaluation. This is his second stint at Ole Miss as an assistant -- he’ll be the school’s defensive coordinator after previously working as a position coach. As a Tennessee native, he also played his college ball in the Southeast, giving him connections to the region. While at Colorado he oversaw some major recruiting finds, including running back Phillip Lindsay and versatile athlete Laviska Shenault.

Farrell’s Take: “MacIntyre brings head coaching ability with him to the recruiting battles and has done a good job in Texas, especially where he will help the efforts of Ole Miss. He’s a solid closer which is important as a coordinator and he is well liked by families. His recruiting style is a solid one and will help Ole Miss greatly.”

Breakdown: Auburn surprised many when it passed over bigger names to hire Dillingham away from Memphis as its offensive coordinator. The 28-year-old has worked his way up quickly through the coaching ranks and is still making his bones as a recruiter. The most impressive part of his resume is serving as the Tigers' quarterbacks coach and helping develop Riley Ferguson into a star.

Farrell’s Take: “Dillingham is very young but he’s a good hire for Auburn because he brings smarts and energy to recruiting. He’s also become known already as a developer of talent at the college level which will help. This is a big step up for him when it comes to recruiting but he will do a good job.”

Breakdown: Trojans fans got a blast from the past when Burns was announced as an addition to Clay Helton’s staff after bouncing around college football and the NFL since leaving USC in 2005. Burns will once again serve as the defensive backs coach for the school, just as he did during Pete Carroll’s successful run at the turn of the century. Burns has worked at five different Pac-12 schools and his recruiting track record includes helping land Taylor Mays and C.J. Gable.

Farrell’s Take: “Burns has been all over when it comes to recruiting and relates very well to recruits. He should elevate the recruiting game of USC especially when it comes to landing and developing defensive backs and I expect him to emerge as one of the best recruiters in the Pac-12 before too long.”

Breakdown: Geoff Collins is building a staff from scratch at Georgia Tech and he reached into the school’s past to bring in former Yellow Jacket Choice as running backs coach. Choice is only five years removed from playing in the NFL, but is an Atlanta-area native with deep ties to the state and did a nice job with the running backs in North Texas' high-powered offense this past season.

Farrell’s Take: "A former star at Georgia Tech and a coach with NFL playing experience, Choice is a natural as a coach. He doesn’t have a ton of recruiting experience but I expect him to hit the ground running and be one of the bigger surprises in the ACC.”

Breakdown: A protege of longtime Duke head coach and noted quarterback guru David Cutcliffe, Roper returns to the ACC as the Wolfpack’s quarterbacks coach. Since leaving Duke in 2013, Roper has worked at Florida and South Carolina, and has also spent time at Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss. His past successes on the recruiting trail include helping recruit Jake Bentley to South Carolina and Tyler Jordan to Florida.

Farrell’s Take: “Roper has great experience in recruiting and has recruited at some big schools so he should be a good addition for NC State. He’s been around the block in recruiting circles, has developed quarterbacks and has learned under some very good coaches over the years.”

Breakdown: Galloway comes to North Carolina as the wide receivers coach after serving in the same role at Louisville. A noted recruiter at all positions and developer of talent at wide receiver, Galloway has deep ties to the state of North Carolina having played at Western Carolina and also worked at Wake Forest. Some of his notable successes on the recruiting trail include Bruce Irvin, Tavon Austin and David Sills.

Farrell’s Take: “Galloway is known as a very good recruiter and has reeled in his share of stars like Austin and Irvin over the years. His stints at West Virginia were especially impressive and we’ll see that level of recruiting and talent development at North Carolina with a good closer like Mack Brown behind him.”

Breakdown: One of the most unproven names on this list, Brooks is making the leap from high school coach in Maryland straight to on-field coach with the Terrapins. Brooks will be reunited with Anthony McFarland, who he coached at the high school level. Brooks has deep ties in the DMV area, one that will be vital for new head coach Mike Locksley.

Farrell’s Take: “Brooks comes from the high school ranks but anyone who knows anything understands that he needed to be a great recruiter at DeMatha on that level. His connections to the local areas will help Locksley keep kids home and he’s very good relating to high school athletes. He’s a home run hire.”

Breakdown: Lindsey comes to Kansas as the offensive coordinator after working in the same role at Auburn. A former high school coach in Alabama, Lindsey has risen quickly through the college coaching ranks. Known for his offensive mind, Lindsey also has a track record as a recruiter, first tutoring rising NFL star Nick Mullens in high school and college and helping the Tigers recruit five-star quarterback Bo Nix in this year’s class.

Farrell’s Take: “Lindsey has recent experience at the high school level and is great at establishing relationships so he will help Kansas greatly. Recruiting at Kansas is a challenge but Lindsey teamed with Les Miles could lead to a few surprise commitments for the Jayhawks.”