Meet college football's most underrated recruiters

It’s still hard to win recruiting battles, but let’s be honest, it’s easier to sign blue-chip recruits when you’re at Alabama, Ohio State, USC, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas. In reality, the best recruiting jobs in college football are done at places where there are obstacles to normally signing elite prospects. Maybe it’s time to give some love to the underrated recruiters of college football.

On3 polled 25 college football coaches across the country for their votes on the most underrated recruiters and here are the results:

Nate Scheelhaase, Iowa State

Scheelhaase understands the recruiting process unlike many in the business. That’s because he was a four-star quarterback recruit coming out of Kansas City’s Rockhurst High in 2009. He signed with Illinois over Iowa, Kansas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Stanford. As a four-year starter and two-time captain, he did some good things at Illinois. Now he is developing into one of the best coaches and recruiters in college football.

“Nate’s a star in the making in the coaching profession,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.

Recruits absolutely love him, too.

“Coach Nate is the man,” four-star Platte City (Mo.) Platte County junior EDGE Chandavian Bradley said.

Scheelhaase – Iowa State’s running back and receivers coach – played a role in recruiting star running back Breece Hall out of Wichita, Kan. Plus, he’s tearing up his old hometown with three commitments in the 2022 class and more on the way.

Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech

Choice is in his third year at Georgia Tech, and he’s quickly earning a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country. In his first two seasons as running backs coach, Choice coached a freshman All-American (Jahmyr Gibbs) and two All-ACC honorees. Plus, in his role as offensive recruiting coordinator, he was instrumental in putting together consecutive highly ranked recruiting classes, including only the second top-25 class in Tech history in 2020.

The praise also is coming from his peers.

“Tashard has Georgia Tech in on guys that Georgia Tech shouldn’t be in on,” one SEC recruiting coordinator said. “Georgia Tech is one of the most difficult places in the country to recruit to, but he gets it done. I know he’s a Georgia Tech grad, but he’s the type of coach and recruiter that is going places.”

Justin Stepp, South Carolina

Stepp made a name for himself as one of the better recruiters in the SEC when he was at Arkansas. In Stepp’s four recruiting classes at Arkansas, he brought in seven four-star recruits. Recruits and coaches laud Stepp for his personal approach to recruiting. When he was announced at South Carolina as the receivers coach, Stepp told reporters he tries to talk or text recruits at least once a day, if not more. He said most of that talk isn’t about football. It’s about their family or schoolwork or anything else going on in their lives.

Rival recruiters say that approach works and that’s why he’s one of the best of the best.

“He’s going to do big, big things at South Carolina,” an ACC assistant said. “It might take him a year or so to get really rolling, but once he does, look out. He pours his heart and soul into this, and it’s truly personal for him. That’s a trait the best recruiters have. He’ll be one of the best recruiters in the SEC by the time he’s done. Count on it.”

Ra’Shaad Samples, SMU

One Big 12 assistant called Samples – SMU’s assistant head coach and running back coach – the “fastest-rising star in the recruiting world.” Samples has generated a lot of recruiting headlines for SMU.

The Mustangs have commitments from four – yes, that’s right, four – players ranked in the On300, including coveted receiver Jordan Hudson of Garland (Texas) High. Hudson ranks No. 29 in the country and would be the highest-ranked recruit signed by SMU in modern recruiting history. And most of those commitments, including Hudson, have Samples’ fingerprints all over them.

“SMU is putting together the best class in the country that nobody is talking about,” a second Big 12 assistant said. “And Ra’Shaad is the biggest reason why. He does a great job of relating to the players in the Metroplex. He’s also genuine, which matters to kids in Dallas.”

Vance Vice, Virginia Tech

Landing offensive linemen isn’t often sexy and normally won’t generate a ton of headlines. But savvy coaches across the country are quick to compliment Vice, Virginia Tech’s offensive line coach, as one of the more underrated recruiters. In his six years at Tech, Vice has reshaped the Hokies’ offensive line. He’s brought back that toughness and physicality that made the Hokies one of the best programs in college football in the early 2000s.

He already has six commitments on board for the 2022 class, including On300 IOL Gunner Givens of Daleville (Va.) Lord Botetourt. Recruits rave about Vice’s personal communications, and rival recruiters compliment his attention to detail.

“I don’t know how he does it,” a Big Ten assistant said. “Vance knows everything about a recruit and their situation. He can recite a recruit’s entire game schedule. Vance builds relationships with the janitors at the schools because he knows one time it’s going to help him land a recruit. It’s those little things that matter, and it’s those little things that make him a great recruiter.”