Top Recruiters: ACC
The 2015 recruiting cycle is in the books and programs across the country are celebrating their Signing Day hauls. Rivals.com examines the top recruiters from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
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ACC Recruiter of the Year
Jeff ScottClick Here to view this Link.
Jeff Scott was the lead recruiter on five-star receiver Deon Cain.
Without Scott, Clemson's offense would be in real trouble and their 2015 recruiting class would be nowhere near the top five nationally. Scott played a huge role in getting eight of the 10 offensive players Clemson signed. As the lead recruiter for five-star Deon Cain, four-star Kelly Bryant, Rivals250 Garrett Williams, three-star Tucker Israel and three-star Zach Giella, Scott made sure the future of Clemson's offense will be in good hands. He also played a key role in landing commitments from five-star Ray-Ray McCloud III and three-stars Noah Green and Shadell Bell. It is really impressive how effective Scott's recruiting efforts were with players from the Orlando and Tampa area.
Other Top ACC Recruiters
Lawrence DawseyClick Here to view this Link.
Nowadays multiple coaches from a staff are often involved in the recruitment of a given prospect, but Dawsey played a major role in getting some of the best players in Florida State's class. As the wide receivers coach in Tallahassee, Dawsey made sure the Seminoles reloaded on the outside. Five-star George Campbell, Rivals100 prospect Da'Vante Phillips, Rivals250 recruit Auden Tate and three-star Nyqwan Murray will make sure Florida State's next quarterbacks have a great arsenal of weapons. On that note, Dawsey was the lead recruiter for four-star De'Andre Johnson. Adding offensive weapons wasn't Dawsey's only focus, however. He helped make sure Florida State got four-star offensive tackle Abdul Bello, as well. Dawsey's efforts will help make sure Florida State's offense continues to run like a well-oiled machine.
Tony ElliottClick Here to view this Link.
Clemson's 2015 class was historic, and their success wouldn't have been possible without Elliott. Getting a commitment from Rivals100 offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt on Signing Day in 2014 really jump started Clemson's 2015 recruiting efforts. From there, Elliott turned his focus to locking up a commitment from another Rivals100 offensive linemen, Jake Fruhmorgen. Armed with two major pieces of Clemson's offensive line of the future, Elliott's next task was to secure major playmakers for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Elliott achieved that goal, as well. He assisted in the recruitment of five-star wide receiver Deon Cain and was the lead recruiter for five-star athlete Ray-Ray McCloud III. The players Elliott was able to bring in will help Clemson keep their high-powered offense on track for the next few years.
Jeffrey Faris
Faris is young, energetic and an absolute machine on the recruiting trail for Duke. He's a workhorse and never stops working these kids. Recruits seem love his personality and seem to connect right away with him. Other coaches and players he recruits commonly note his honesty, his straightforward approach and his consistency. It's very impressive how Faris is building strong ties with coaches on the West Coast and in Georgia. Three-stars Reno Rosene, Aaron Young and Rivals250 linebacker Ben Humphreys, Duke's highest rated commit in the 2015 class, were all recruited by Faris from California. And thanks to Faris' connections in Georgia, Duke got commitments from three-stars Zach Morris, Jordan Hayes and Trevon McSwain.
Keith GilmoreClick Here to view this Link.
Gilmore, North Carolina's defensive line coach, was instrumental in helping the Tar Heels land two critical recruits the program badly needed. He was the lead recruiter for Rivals100 standout Jalen Dalton, one of the top defensive end prospects in the country, as well as defensive tackle Aaron Crawford. Both players dealt with extensive negative recruiting and had other options that would have been solid choices. Gilmore landed both without promising playing time, only an opportunity, and he sold them on what was good about North Carolina's future, deflecting the negative recruiting from many other schools. Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora also singled out Gilmore during his Signing Day press conference.
Des KitchingsClick Here to view this Link.
It was a banner recruiting cycle for N.C. State, as the Wolfpack landed five in-state four-star prospects. Kitchings was the main recruiter for Rivals100 running back Nyheim Hines and Rivals250 offensive lineman Emanuel McGirt. Landing both of those commitments really helped the Wolfpack with Rivals100 defensive lineman Darian Roseboro. Two of N.C. State's other four-star recruits, Rivals250 running back Johnny Frasier and running back Reggie Gallaspy, committed to the Wolfpack partially because of Kitchings' efforts. It was also impressive to see Kitchings go into South Carolina and get a commitment from the versatile Freddie Phillips.
Andy McCollumClick Here to view this Link.
Georgia Tech signed 27 three-star prospects in their 2015 class and McCollum had a hand in recruiting 11 of them. He was a machine in the state of Georgia, pulling in commitments from Mikell Lands-Davis, Dorian Walker, Dante Wigley, Harland Howell II, KirVonte Benson, Brad Morgan, Scott Morgan and Omahri Jarrett. McCollum was also instrumental in the recruitments of Brant Mitchell and Tyler Cooksey. In the broader picture, McCollum's recruiting efforts helped Georgia Tech's 2015 recruiting class stay relatively balanced. Look for McCollum's relationships in Georgia helped him continue to be successful on the recruiting trail.
Bryan StinespringClick Here to view this Link.
While many will focus on the misses for Virginia Tech, Stinespring helped a large number of in-state prospects. He had a hand in eight of the Hokies' 24 commitments, including four four-star prospects. Stinespring worked his connections by flipping Rivals250 OL Austin Clark from an earlier commitment to South Carolina. Stinespring coached Clark's father, Steve Clark, in high school. He also landed the last in the Edmunds trilogy, by securing Rivals250 linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, whose older brothers, Trey Edmunds and Terrell Edmunds, are already Hokies. Stinespring also kept Virginia Tech's presence in the ever-important Tidewater area of Virginia strong by landing four-stars Jahque Alleyne and Deshawn McClease.
Rick TrickettClick Here to view this Link.
Trickett's unique style has attracted a lot of high-profile recruits to Florida State over the years and it was no different for the 2015 class. His top rated recruit was five-star running back Jacques Patrick but his most important commitment was quarterback Deondre Francois. The Rivals100 signal-caller looks like he could be the next great quarterback at Florida State. As the offensive line coach, Trickett identified and recruited players he knew would fit his system well. Four-star Abdul Bello and three-star center David Robbins committed to Florida State because of Trickett's efforts and will be ready to step into the starting lineup after a few years on campus. Trickett is also responsible for the Seminoles landing four-star defensive back A.J. Westbrook and three-star Cole Minshew.
Brent VenablesClick Here to view this Link.
Venables has become well known on the recruiting trail, and while he may not have landed a lot of commitments for Clemson in the 2015 cycle, he landed three very highly rated prospects. The first was Rivals100 linebacker Chad Smith, who can do so many things well and will be a strong candidate for early playing time. Rivals250 defensive end Clelin Ferrell was next. Ferrell is recovering from a knee injury but should be a force when he gets back to full strength. The third and biggest of Venables' three commitments was from five-star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. What makes getting that trio of commitments even more impressive is that they are from states where Clemson doesn't usually have a lot of success. Smith and Ferrell are from Virginia and Wilkins is from Connecticut.
