It isn't really true that most of the big names wait to the last minute. If you look at the Rivals 100 list, I think you'll see that the majority of the guys on there are already committed. The ones who wait a long time end up getting the most attention, but the big names commit throughout the year.
it appears that Jimbo is at least responsible for two top notch recruits, EJ Manuel and Corey Surrency. Surrency just said that he's only going to FSU because of Fisher. And EJ is a given. He is not a Nole if Jimbo isn't there.