1/30/2017 football Edit

Fisher's secret recipe for recruiting? 'Noles point to 3 key ingredients

Ira Schoffel • TheOsceola

Managing Editor

Ira has covered Florida State for more than 15 years and college football for more than 25 years. He is a former sports editor and columnist at the Tallahassee Democrat and other outlets.

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Quarterback Deondre Francois says he chose FSU in large part because the coaches were honest with him during the recruiting process and never promised early playing time. (Gene Williams/Warchant)

No matter what happens this Wednesday on National Signing Day, Jimbo Fisher already has established as one of the elite recruiters in college football.

Since Fisher became head coach at Florida State in 2010, only Nick Saban and Alabama have enjoyed more success on the recruiting trail. In fact, the Seminoles and Crimson Tide share the distinction of being the only programs to finish in the top 10 of the Rivals team recruiting rankings during each of those seven years while also finishing in the top five more than once.

Auburn joins FSU and Alabama as the only schools with seven straight top-10 classes, but the Tigers come up short in the other area. They have produced just one top-five class during that period, while Saban has landed seven and Fisher has snared four. And unless Auburn coach Gus Malzahn comes through with a late charge this week, the Tigers’ streak of top-10 classes could come to an end as well. As of Monday afternoon, Auburn’s 2017 class was ranked 15th nationally; Florida State’s was sixth and Alabama’s was first.

To illustrate the Seminoles' recruiting success under Fisher, we took a look back at the last seven signing classes and charted which programs have out-performed the competition at the national level. Points were awarded only for top-10 finishes, and the points were awarded in reverse order of the class ranking. So, a No. 1 finish resulted in 10 points, while a 10th-place class was awarded one point.

Here is a look at those results:

The Best of the Best in Recruiting from 2010-16

School	Top-10 Classes	Top-5 Classes	Total Points*
1. Alabama	All seven	All seven	65
2. Florida State	All seven	Four	40
3. Ohio State	Five	Four	34
4. LSU	Six	Two	33
5. Southern Cal	Five	Three	31
6. Texas	Four	Three	29
7. Florida	Four	Three	27
8. Auburn	All Seven	One	22
9. Michigan	Three	Two	17
10 (tie). Georgia	Three	One	15
10 (tie). Clemson	Three	One	15

* Points awarded in inverse order for top-10 classes, with 10 points for a No, 1 class and one point for No. 10.

Of course, Florida State enjoyed success in recruiting long before Jimbo Fisher became head coach, so it’s not as if he deserves all of the credit for the Seminoles’ ability to attract top talent. He undoubtedly is helped by the rich tradition of FSU's football program, the university’s commitment to providing top-notch resources and facilities, and the fact that Florida and Miami have not been at their best in recent years.

At the same time, the message delivered each year by Fisher and his staff clearly resonates with top recruits.

With that in mind, Warchant.com surveyed more than 10 current FSU players and assistant coaches to gain a better understanding of Fisher's approach and why it is so effective. Almost without exception, the answers could be sorted into three categories: The family atmosphere Fisher has instilled in the program; the coaching staff's no-nonsense, no-promises approach; and the fact that the players do a great job of reinforcing those messages.

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