The goal here is to show how well a coach attracts talented players. This is done by measuring the current WRC recruiting ranking vs. the WRC ranking the coach inherited. It should be mentioned that this means that each score is a cumulative score.
Because this measures how well you attract talent at a specific program, hopefully this metric will maintain it’s relevance even though NIL money has become a large factor in persuading recruits and transfer portal players. We still see that those that have the ability and influence to get players to take less money to come to their program, have the upper hand.
There are some factors outside of the coaches’ control that can affect this ranking like moving to a power 5 conference, coming off of probation, and having a poor recruiting predecessor. Kyle Wittingham and Gary Patterson both benefited from their program moving to a power 5 conference during their tenure. Conversely, following a rule-breaking coach (denoted by the ***) can make a coach look worse than he deserves. So, this is designed to give credit where credit is due, but occasionally, there are extenuating circumstances. I should mention that one truth that this metric shows is that long-tenured older coaches lose ability to influence and relate to the younger generations consistently.
- The first chart is the 2025 top 10 in cumulative recruiting upgrade.
- The second chart is the 2025 bottom 10 in cumulative recruiting upgrade.
- The third chart is the Career top 10 coaches in recruiting ability (2005-2025)
- The fourth chart is the Career bottom 10 coaches in recruiting ability (2005-2025)
