The ultimate success or failure of a coaching tenure in college football is often defined by the hires a head coach makes around him. Landing the right assistants is even more paramount for a coach when he’s starting a program of his own.

Both Jimbo Fisher and Jeremy Pruitt are both currently dealing with that scenario in College Station and Knoxville. Ironically enough, Fisher’s only national championship as a head coach was won with Pruitt as his defensive coordinator in 2013. Aside from that shared experience, both men have another thing in common — they’ve both made terrific assistant coaching hires in recent days according to Rivals.

While FSU’s hiring of Mark Snyder was considered the best recent assistant hire per Rivals, Fisher’s hiring of special teams coach Bradley Dale Peveto and Pruitt’s hiring of receivers coach David Johnson were considered in the “best of the rest” category.

Rivals’ Mike Ferrell shared some thoughts on each hire:

on Bradley Dale Peveto:

“Peveto is a Texas native and graduated from SMU, so he will help the Aggies’ recruiting efforts in the state. He’s also known as an excellent recruiter and has experience in the SEC West at Ole Miss, LSU and Arkansas, so he’s familiar with the game.”

on David Johnson:

“Johnson worked with and developed Anthony Miller at Memphis which is as impressive as anything that can be put on a resume. I love Miller as a prospect and he was clearly coached up well. He will help in-state recruiting efforts and also has experience in Louisiana, a state that many SEC teams would like to poach.”

If both of these hires prove to be good decisions, it’s a strong bet both Fisher and Pruitt have found success at their respective schools. On the other hand, if either of the hires flops, there will be some tough questions facing the coach that hired them.