National Signing Day set for Wednesday: Heading into National Signing Day on Wednesday, LSU’s 2011 recruiting class is looking strong. Rivals.com has LSU with the fourth-best class of high school seniors, behind Alabama, Texas and Florida State. The Tigers have commitments from three 5-star recruits: Anthony Johnson, a defensive tackle from O. Perry Walker in New Orleans; La’El Collins, an offensive lineman from Redemptorist; and Jarvis Landry, a wide receiver from Lutcher. The Tigers are in the running for two more 5-star players: Jadeveon Clowney, a defensive end from South Carolina rated as the nation’s top player in the 2011 class; and Ray Drew, a defensive end from Georgia rated as the ninth-best prospect by Rivals. Clowney says he won’t announce what school he is going to until Valentine’s Day, which is his 18th birthday.
Conference set to grow? The rich ESPN deal the University of Texas signed with ESPN to create a Longhorn Network has rekindled talk of Texas A&M and Oklahoma joining the SEC. Kirk Bohls, a columnist for The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, says the SEC would scoop up the Aggies and Sooners “in a second.” Bill Byrne, Texas A&M athletic director, says his school will work with the Big 12 to do what is best for the league. But Byrne told The Dallas Morning News he was concerned about plans for the Longhorn Network to air Texas high school football games. “I can’t speak for the NCAA, but I would imagine the governing body will look into the use of a collegiate television network airing games of prospective student-athletes,” he says. Texas announced last week it had signed a 20-year, $300 million deal with ESPN to set up a network devoted to Longhorn sports, high school football and cultural events at the university. Bohls says some TV insiders have told him the network deal could be a money loser for ESPN, because of the shortage of top-shelf programming. “If it’s Texas-OU football, everybody’s got to have that,” Bohls quotes one source as saying. “Texas volleyball, not so much.”
One of four SEC teams in poll: LSU is ranked 22nd in the Baseball America preseason poll. The Tigers are one of four SEC teams in the preseason college baseball poll, behind top-ranked Florida; Vanderbilt, ranked fourth; and South Carolina, ranked seventh. Two non-SEC teams the Tigers will play this season are also ranked: Cal State Fullerton, ranked eighth; and Tulane, ranked 25th. The Tigers start practice for the season Friday afternoon; they’ll open the season Feb. 18 at home against Wake Forest.
