While assistant coaches are the ones who primarily do the legwork on the recruiting trail, it still takes an ability at the top to close the deal with elite prospects and their parents.

So with that, here are the three top “salesman” head coaches currently in the Southeastern Conference. Nearly every coach in the league can be credited with at least an above average ability to do this, but the trio mentioned below are the gold standard.

1. Nick Saban, Alabama

It’s hard to argue that a coach who has signed six straight No. 1 overall recruiting classes, all of which are national in scope, isn’t the best salesman of his program. Even without that type of numerical success, Saban is outstanding in this area. He sells the football success, but also Alabama’s in-depth, all-bases-covered off-the-field program — everything from nutrition to life skills to training — and does it in a manner that is universally impressive to recruits and their parents, even those who ultimately do not end up in Tuscaloosa.

2. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss

After getting hired, Freeze went toe-to-toe with any program in order to land top talent for the Rebels. Because this wasn’t occurring on a regular basis prior to Freeze arriving in Oxford, this is a testament to his ability to sell his program. Some of the out-of-state highlights include No. 1 overall Robert Nkemdiche (Georgia), No. 1 wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (Illinois) and No. 1 offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (Florida) in the 2013 class. This past cycle, Freeze got five-star quarterback Shea Patterson (Louisiana/Florida) and No. 1 offensive tackle Greg Little (Texas).

3. Butch Jones, Tennessee

Jones inherited a Vols program in the wilderness. In 2013, his first season, he was Tennessee’s fourth head coach in six years. Tennessee had been to two bowl games and had one winning season during that time. Because the Vols rely on filling needs out-of-state (though the in-state talent has been on the uptick during Jones’ tenure), it’s not as easy as it looks to come in and sell even a tradition-rich program in that type of shape. Jones proceeded to land top 10 class after top 10 class and in short order has re-stocked the Tennessee roster, making the Vols a contender again.

Also worth a mention: Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) and Will Muschamp (South Carolina).