Associated Press
The national roundup …
NEW YORKó These days, the Alabama-LSU rivalry is revved-up year round.
The Tigers and Tide tussled for the top spot in the recruiting rankings, with Nick Saban and ‘Bama closing strong and even getting one Louisiana star to switch from purple and gold to crimson and white on signing day.
As if LSU fans needed another reason to seethe about Saban, the former Tigers coach who needed just two seasons in Tuscaloosa to wrest the SEC West away from Les Miles’ Tigers.
Alabama went 11-2 last season and played for the SEC championship, while LSU disappointed and finished 8-5 the season after winning the national championship in 2007.
On signing day, LSU and Alabama went at it again.
Rivals.com and Scout.com gave Alabama its top spot, just ahead of LSU.
LSU was No. 1 in the Scouts, Inc./ESPNU rankings, with Alabama fifth. Tom Lemming of CBS College Sports also had LSU on top and ‘Bama fifth.
The other schools vying for the top spot were mostly the usual suspects: Southern California, Texas and Ohio State.
Coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season at Michigan was a 3-9 debacle, but his first recruiting class drew top-10 rankings.
NOTRE DAME
SOUTH BEND, Ind. ó Notre Dame’s football recruiting went much like this past season: mediocre, until a big win in Hawaii at the end.
The Fighting Irish, who had seen their share of highly rated recruits slip away at the last minute in recent years, landed Manti Te’o (MAN-tie TAY-ow) of Honolulu, ranked as one of the nation’s top linebackers.
“I can’t remember the last time they got a great player at the very end,” Tom Lemming of CBS College Sports said.
EAST CAROLINA
GREENVILLE ó With his program continuing its steady rise, East Carolina coach Skip Holtz no longer must desperately recruit to fill immediate needs. Instead, the Pirates are bringing in balanced classes with plenty of in-state talent.The Pirates unveiled a 20-player recruiting class that includes two junior college transfers and an invited walk-on. Fourteen of the players are from North Carolina, giving Holtz the foothold he wants in high schools across the state.
APPALACHIAN STATE
Appalachian State borught in 14 recruits, all high school seniors.
“We’re pleased with the class that we’ve signed,” Moore said. “It will be one of the most athletic groups to ever come through here.”