College Football Playoff: Top impact recruit for each head coach

Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football. This week we took a look at the most impactful recruit each head coach of teams in the top four of the College Football Playoff Rankings has signed during their tenure.

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Impact player: “Nick Saban has signed a lot of No. 1 classes during his 10 years in Tuscaloosa. He also has the No. 1 class in 2017. There are many impactful recruits from two Heisman Trophy winners (Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry) to countless All-Americans. I think the biggest impact recruit was Julio Jones from a recruiting standpoint. Alabama has always been able to attract top running backs and defensive players but never a five-star receiver. Julio was the first followed by Amari Cooper. Now Alabama has stars in Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart. Five-star Jerry Jeudy is committed in the 2017 class.” – Andrew Bone, TideSports.com

Look back at his recruitment: The battle for the top spot in the wide receiver rankings was one of the top storylines in the 2008 recruiting class. Jones edged out A.J. Green in the end. Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas Tech all received official visits from Jones before he committed to Alabama during a live broadcast on ESPNU on National Signing Day.

Impact player: “While Urban Meyer has landed higher rated players during his tenure in Columbus, I think that Ezekiel Elliott was the most impactful player. Zeke was a great player who helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship but he has done just as much in his time of being out of the program. Elliott has created a culture in the running back room for players to perform without the ball in their hands and that has raised the level of the runners. And on the recruiting trail, the Buckeyes now have that highly visible player (not that they have not had it in the past) who helps them with running back recruiting and just overall perception as a player who made the jump from the NCAA to the NFL in a major way.” – Kevin Noon, BuckeyeGrove.com

Look back at his recruitment: Elliott’s recruitment wasn’t full of drama like some other recruits. Ohio State was essentially his leader from the time they offered. Elliott committed to the Buckeyes in March before his senior season. Missouri received an official visit from Elliott right before Signing Day but it wasn’t enough to get him to sign with them. Elliott obviously went on to have a great career in Columbus and couldn’t have started off his NFL career any better.

Impact player: “Clemson pushed all its chips in for Deshaun Watson after his high school freshman season, and the long-term recruiting investment has paid all the dividends the Tigers could have hoped. The 2014 five-star out of Gainesville (Ga.) has played a predominant role in elevating the program into championship contenders the last two years as well as giving Clemson the star power and stature to improve its talent base across the board – as evidenced by consecutive top-six recruiting classes. The likely two-time Heisman Trophy finalist has also laid the groundwork for the Tigers to effectively sell the chance to be his successor, as Clemson has managed to attract a collection of five- and four-stars as subsequent candidates to lead its prolific offense. In short, Watson is Exhibit A for why having a differential talent at quarterback means the world.” – Paul Strelow, TigerIllustrated.com

Look back at his recruitment: Watson’s recruitment was pretty cut and dry with very little drama. He committed to Clemson in February before his senior season and didn’t seriously look around. The only other threat to Clemson was Georgia but the Bulldogs moved on him too late.

Impact player: “When Chris Petersen and defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake flipped Budda Baker from Oregon to Washington just days before National Signing Day 2014 it marked the beginning of a trend that has turned UW from a 6-7 win program to a CFB Playoff contender just three years later. Baker was the first big-name recruit for Petersen in his first recruiting class, but more importantly he kept an in-state player home after originally committing to Oregon. The 2016 season has shown what the impact has meant for both UW as well as the Pac-12.” - Lars Hanson, TheDawgReport.com

Look back at his recruitment: Baker was a long-time Oregon commit. After decommitting late in the process, he narrowed his choices down to Washington and UCLA before announcing his commitment to the Huskies on TV.