Not sure this is legit (feel free to delete it if I am crossing a line) ... but here is the list:
ere are 21 guys who have the respect/fear of their peers:
1. Kurtis Townsend, Kansas Jayhawks
The list for Townsend --- who also spent time at Michigan and USC -- is pretty darn impressive: Andrew Wiggins, Sherron Collins, Darrell Arthur, Julian Wright, Brandon Rush, Jeff Withey at KU and Jamal Crawford and Lavell Blanchard at Michigan. He also got some quality talent in his tenure at USC. Townsend gets after it, has strong connections throughout the country and has one of the best brands -- and head coaches -- to sell.
2. Mike Hopkins, Syracuse Orange
He’ll take over for Jim Boeheim when he calls it quits, and Hopkins should be able to make certain the talent level doesn’t drop. He’s recruited guys like Hakim Warrick, Gerry McNamara, Dion Waiters, Michael Carter-Williams and DaJuan Coleman over the years. He is high energy and especially well-connected on the East Coast.
3. Kevin Keatts, Louisville Cardinals
It hasn’t taken the former Hargrave Military Academy prep school coach long to make his mark in the college ranks. He had a fairly brief stint as an assistant at Marshall, but he’s already pulled Montrezl Harrell, Luke Hancock (transfer from George Mason), Chris Jones, Terry Rozier and Anton Gill in his three seasons under Rick Pitino. He also helped the Cards land a pledge from highly ranked guard Jaquan Lyle. Without Keatts getting Hancock and Harrell, Louisville doesn’t cut down the nets last season.
4. Butch Pierre, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Pierre was critical in putting together LSU’s team that went to the Final Four in 2006 and has brought high-end talent to Stillwater since joining Travis Ford’s staff. He was huge in making sure Tyrus Thomas and Glen “Big Baby” Davis remained in-state and was key in getting Le’Bryan Nash to OSU.
5. Orlando Antigua, Kentucky Wildcats
John Calipari has no peer when it comes to recruiting -- and the combo of Cal and Kentucky is nearly unbeatable. That’s part of what makes Antigua feared, but he’s also done more than his part to make certain UK continues to get elite players season after season.
6. Robert Kirby, Memphis Tigers
He’s bounced around a bit lately. He spent time with Rick Stansbury at Mississippi State, was at Georgetown for a cup of coffee and was at LSU last season before joining Memphis in the offseason. He’s considered one of the strongest recruiters in the country, especially in the south. He got Otto Porter to Georgetown and had commitments from both Jonathan Bender and Monta Ellis before both went to the NBA directly out of high school. He also signed Travis Outlaw to the Bulldogs program before he went straight to the NBA.
7. Jeff Capel, Duke Blue Devils
Most former head coaches don’t get after it on the recruiting trail, but Capel is different. He’s just 38 years old after spending nine seasons at two different stops (VCU and Oklahoma). Capel is feared because of his background and current employer. He got Blake Griffin to OU and Eric Maynor to VCU and has pulled in Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood and Matt Jones since he joined Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke.
8. Justin Hutson, San Diego State Aztecs
Hutson returned to San Diego State after a brief stop at UNLV, where he helped bring a ton of high-level talent to Vegas. His efforts in helping to build the Aztecs to a national level are what make him one of the most talked-about West Coast recruiters around. He was key in San Diego State landing Kawhi Leonard and Jamaal Franklin.
9. Jerome Tang, Baylor Bears
He’s been a huge reason for the influx of talent to Waco in recent years. He helped get Tweety Carter, Perry Jones III, Quincy Miller and Isaiah Austin, among others. Without Tang, Baylor wouldn’t be nationally relevant season after season.
10. Jeff Boals, Ohio State Buckeyes
He recruited Zeke Marshall to Akron and has helped get Aaron Craft, Marc Loving, Keita Bates-Diop and D’Angelo Russell to Columbus. The Buckeyes have done a terrific job recruiting since Thad Matta arrived, and Boals is a worker who has made certain the program sustains its excellence on the recruiting trail.
11. Kenny Johnson, Indiana Hoosiers
Pat Skerry hired him at Towson out of the Team Takeover AAU program, and Tom Crean grabbed him after just one season. The big man has paid immediate dividends, helping to bring in Noah Vonleh, Stan Robinson and Troy Williams -- all part of a stellar freshman class that arrives in Bloomington this season. He has been on Crean’s staff since May 2012 and has already gotten plenty done.
12. Jerrance Howard, Kansas Jayhawks
He was on Bruce Weber’s staff at Illinois then spent last season with Larry Brown at SMU before joining his former college coach Bill Self at Kansas a few months ago. Howard is extremely well-liked and will be tough to beat with the Kansas name on his shirt. His notches thus far include Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul.
13. Dwayne Stephens, Michigan State Spartans
He is low-key, doesn’t self-promote and gets things done in East Lansing. It obviously doesn’t hurt to have Tom Izzo in charge. However, Stephens is considered one of the best in the country, and his track record includes landing Draymond Green, Gary Harris, Delvon Roe and Kalin Lucas.
14. Tommy Lloyd, Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Gonzaga coach-in-waiting does his work quietly, and much of it overseas. People are nervous when they see him because he does a lot of his work under the radar. He’s gotten a ton of quality players from outside the country (e.g., Ronny Turiaf, Kevin Pangos, Elias Harris, Robert Sacre, Przemek Karnowski) and can also get work done in the U.S. Lloyd, for example, was key in Gonzaga adding Micah Downs and Jeremy Pargo.
15. Orlando Early, NC State Wolfpack
Here’s another former head coach on the list. He was the head man at Louisiana-Monroe for five seasons and was an assistant at Charlotte and Alabama before getting the head-coaching gig. He helped get Rodney White to Charlotte and was key in landing Kennedy Winston and Alonzo Gee at Alabama. He was the point man in getting T.J. Warren to NC State.
16. Chad Dollar, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
He’s been with Brian Gregory for the past couple of seasons but moved around before that a bit -- Wichita State, LSU, Arkansas State, Murray State and Georgia Southern. He recruited Carl Hall to Wichita and Elton Nesbitt to Georgia Southern and helped Pierre get Marcus Thornton and Anthony Randolph to LSU. Dollar also helped pull Robert Carter and Marcus Georges-Hunt to Tech.
17. Steve Wojciechowski, Duke Blue Devils
He’s both feared and respected. Wojo has been a key reason for the Blue Devils’ success on the recruiting trail and has helped land guys like Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick, Shavlik Randolph, Kyle Singler, Shelden Williams and Josh McRoberts.
18. Russell Springmann, Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns have fallen off a bit lately, but Springmann was still responsible for getting Kevin Durant, D.J. Augustin and Damion James to Austin. He’s extremely well-respected within the industry.
19. Brian Dutcher, San Diego State Aztecs
He’ll be the next coach of the Aztecs once Steve Fisher retires, but Dutcher is a feared recruiter dating back to his days when he helped land the Fab Five at Michigan. Justin Hutson, Brian Dutcher and Tony Bland (now at USC) recruited much of the current team, with Dutcher hauling in a pair of key transfers: Tulane forward Josh Davis and Arizona big man Angelo Chol.
T-20. Tony Stubblefield, Oregon Ducks
He developed a strong reputation as a recruiter while at Cincinnati for Mick Cronin and has continued it in the Pac-12 with Oregon where he's landed Damyean Dotson and Dominic Artis. He helped get Yancy Gates, Lance Stephenson and Sean Kilpatrick to the Bearcats in his time there.
T-20. Chris Jans, Wichita State Shockers
I’m putting Jans in the high-major category because of the school support and the fact the program went to the Final Four. The former junior college head coach has been huge in the Shockers’ success over the past few seasons -- including the Final Four berth last season. He brought in Garrett Stutz, Joe Ragland and Ron Baker.