Top Fives: Scooping sponsors while highlighting the best
In the spirit of modern college athletics, we felt we needed sponsors.
Ask the NCAA. The corporate world legitimizes things when you're a struggling, humble and non-profit amateur-sports watchdog.
Firing off a bunch of college football "bests" is a risky enough proposition unless you've got the proper sponsor to position yourself in the market.
OK, so in this case, they are fantasy sponsors. (Hey, someone get SportsLine.com's Fantasy Football Commissioner on the phone. We might have a new game here. Who to start in the Bud Bowl, Select or Light? )
Point being, the pressure that goes along with coaching carries so much more weight when adult diapers are involved (see below).
It's time to update the best and brightest, anyway. It tells the bosses I'm working in the offseason. Writing, as well as cold-calling big-time advertisers before the NCAA gets them all.
Example: What's the first thing you think of when you hear "March Madness?"
Besides Pontiac.
Or Pizza Hut.
Beer. Even if the NCAA nobly restricts the ads to 60 seconds an hour in the interest of limiting our youth exposure to jiggling breasts and partying.
Maybe the lesson here is to advertise responsibly.
College football's five best recruiters sponsored by headhunters.com
John Blake, North Carolina: A couple of years ago, Blake was largely credited with landing a top three class at Nebraska. The Huskers won the Big 12 North last year. Coincidence? Butch Davis made Blake one of his first hires.
Stan Drayton, Florida: The Gators running backs coach was credited with landing nine players this year. That includes five-star quarterback Cameron Newton, who could be this year's Tim Tebow as a backup to ... Tim Tebow.
Rodney Garner, Georgia: Considered by some to be the best recruiter in the SEC. He's been in the league as an assistant for 17 years at Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia.
Todd McNair, USC: The former NFL running back has found his niche on Pete Carroll's aggressive staff. Credited with landing five-star backs Joe McKnight and Marc Tyler this year.
Kevin Steele, Alabama: How many guys have coached for both Tom Osborne, Bobby Bowden and been named national recruiter of the year? Steele was one of the first guys Nick Saban went after when he got the job.
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