Scout 2016 Conference Recruiters of the Year

ACC: Brent Venables, Clemson

Venables has had success on the recruiting trail at Clemson the last few years, and at Oklahoma before that. This cycle, the Clemson defensive coordinator was the lead recruiter for eight Tiger signees, and he played a role in others. One of the biggest surprises on signing day was Scout 100 cornerback Trayvon Mullen signing with Clemson over LSU. Venables led the way there. He also was part of the reason Clemson landed Xavier Kelly, Tre Lamar, Rahshaun Smith, and Isaiah Simmons -- all four-star prospects.

Honorable Mention: Tim Brewster (Florida State), Derek Jones (Duke)

American Athletic: Jess Loepp, SMU

It would be easy to just give the award to the man responsible for inking Ed Oliver at Houston, but Loepp put in a lot of serious hard work to help SMU climb to No. 2 in the conference recruiting rankings. Two of his biggest targets, defensive tackle Ken McLaurin and wide receiver Brandon Benson, are possibly the two best recruits on the Mustangs’ list. But he also played a role in helping the school to sign a bevy of its other top prospects such as offensive linemen Braxton Webb, Kadarius Smith, and Jacob Todora, athlete Christian Davis, cornerback Eric Sutton and lineman Ryan Becker.

Honorable Mention: Oscar Giles (Houston), Corby Meekins (Houston)

Big Ten: Zach Smith, Ohio State

Smith landed two four-star receivers, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor. The latter is a Florida kid who could have easily stayed down south. He also landed Wayne Davis, another four-star prospect, as well as offensive lineman Gavin Cupp, who was a Michigan State commitment and ended up in the Buckeye class.

Honorable Mention: Phil Parker (Iowa), Ron Burton (Michigan State), Greg Mattison (Michigan)

Big 12: Jeff Traylor, Texas

The hiring of the former Texas high-school football coaching legend has paid huge dividends for Texas and coach Charlie Strong. Texas closed with a flurry and no commitment was bigger than that of five-star safety Brandon Jones, aided by Traylor’s deep ties in east Texas. Traylor also played an integral role in Longhorn targets such as defensive end Andrew Fitzgerald, receiver Davion Curtis, offensive guard Zach Shackelford, tight end Peyton Aucoin and linebacker B Demarco Boyd. He also was the key to helping turning the tide back in UT’s favor with many in-state recruits.

Honorable Mention: Kendal Briles (Baylor), Bill Bedenbaugh (Oklahoma)

Conference USA: J.C. Price, Marshall

Price struck gold when he landed Scout 100 inside linebacker Jaquan Yulee, No. 3 at his position in the 2016 class. Yulee, the highest rated signee in Conference USA, wasn’t the only prospect on which Price rode point. He also landed three-star safeties Sir Patrick Scott and C.J. Reavis. Defensive tackle Larry Aaron was also Price's doing.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Curtis (Louisiana Tech), Duwan Walker (UAB)

Independents: Autry Denson, Notre Dame

The former record-setting running back returned to his alma mater shortly after Signing Day last year and ended up being a key cog in their 2016 recruiting efforts. Denson pulled in the most volume in the class for the Irish, being the point man on the five Florida signees, including both his running backs, Tony Jones and Deon McIntosh. Denson also was the primary recruiter on four-star cornerback Troy Pride of South Carolina.

Honorable Mention: Ilaisa Tuiaki (BYU)

There were a lot of assistants moving around in the conference this year, but Fleck is a constant. Despite losing some staff, he and his coaches kept the class intact despite poachers coming after his commits. Four-star running back Matt Falcon had decisions to make after leaving the Michigan class and chose WMU. Offensive tackle Spencer Kanz spurned several power-five offers for the Broncos.

Honorable Mention: Herb Haygood (Eastern Michigan), George Barnett (Miami (Oh))

Mountain West: Bobby Hauck, San Diego State

The former UNLV head coach was in his element recruiting for the Aztecs, who finished with one of the best classes in the Mountain West. The Aztecs landed Signing Day commitments from athlete Tayler Hawkins and linebacker Troy Cassidy, who both picked San Diego State over numerous Pac-12 offers. Hauck also was the key on three-star recruits Parie Dedeaux and Trenton Thompson, as well as the San Diego trio of Will Stricklin, Zach Thomas and Will Stricklin.

Honorable Mention: Bryan Applewhite (Colorado State), J.D. Williams (UNLV)

Pac-12: Scott White, UCLA

The Pac-12 race for recruiter of the year was the closest of all the conferences but the Bruin linebackers/special teams coach gets the nod after being the key recruiter in the Pac-12's top class. White landed the No. 2 linebacker class nationally, led by the No. 1 linebacker in the country, five-star Mique Juarez, a one-time USC commit who picked the Bruins on Signing Day over Alabama, Ole Miss and BYU. White landed the top two inside linebackers in the West in Lokeni Toailoa and Krys Barnes, plus Scout 100 defensive end Breland Brandt. He also ran point on four-star athlete Darian Owens and three-star safety Leni Toailoa. On top of that, White recruited the special teamers for the Bruins, bringing in four-star kicker J.J. Molson, Army All-American long snapper Johnny Den Bleyker, and three-star punter Austin Kent.

Honorable Mention: Tee Martin (USC), Mike Bloomgren (Stanford), Jimmy Lake (Washington)

SEC: Bo Davis, Alabama

Alabama closed strong in 2016 and a big part of their success was this defensive-line coach. Davis played a role more than a half dozen Crimson Tide signees. He was the lead recruiter for five-star defensive tackle Kendell Jones of Texas as well as four-star defensive tackle Raekwon Davis of Mississippi. Alabama had a lot of success during the final days before signing day, and Davis was the key. Taking four-star prospect Nigel Knott and Scott Lashley out of Mississippi, from Ole Miss and Mississippi State, was not easy. He also had a role in signing five-star linebacker Ben Davis, four-star defensive lineman Quinnen Williams and four-star quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Honorable Mention: Bradley Dale-Peveto (LSU), Rodney Garner (Auburn)

Sun Belt: Chad Lunsford, Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern is under new head coach Tyson Summers, but the Eagles finished strong in 2016. Lunsford played a role in 10 of the Eagles signees this cycle. Darion Anderson, a three-star wide receiver, and Martial Washington, a three-star safety, are two of his top signees. Lunsford has great connections in Georgia and is becoming a force on the recruiting trail.

Honorable Mention: Scot Sloan (Appalachian State), Jesse Minter (Georgia State)