ESPNU Provides Comprehensive Multiplatform Coverage of National Signing Day On-Air, Online

Multi-Network Coverage Complemented by In-Depth Recruiting Information and Live Video Streaming on ESPN.com

January 28, 2008 -- ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will headline ESPN’s robust multimedia coverage of National Signing Day with a seven-hour special, ESPNU Recruiting Insider: National Signing Day Special presented by 76, Wednesday, Feb. 6, from noon to 7 p.m. ET. The show will be highlighted by exclusive live player announcements, in-depth analysis, news and highlights of top recruits and collegiate programs from around the country. The final 30 minutes of coverage will recap the show and the top recruiting classes for 2008 from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Lowell Galindo, ESPNU’s primary anchor, will host the Signing Day special along with Mike Gottfried, Dave Ryan and ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. analysts Tom Luginbill, Todd McShay and Craig Haubert. ESPN Mobile TV, a 24/7 channel for wireless, and ESPN.com will stream live ESPNU's content throughout the day.

In support of ESPNU’s annual franchise studio show, ESPN2 will televise a special hour-long edition of College Football Live at 2 p.m., with studio host Dari Nowkhah and analysts Jesse Palmer and Robert Smith, and will then simulcast ESPNU’s coverage from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ESPNEWS will begin coverage Tuesday, Feb. 5, with live updates from Luginbill, who will provide analysis on the 2008 recruiting class during the HotList from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., as well as offer continuous coverage on Feb. 6. There will also be some elements of National Signing Day on SportsCenter and First Take.

Several players ranked by The ESPN 150, a nationwide ranking of top prep football prospects compiled by ESPN Scouts Inc., are expected to announce their decision live, including #2 Julio Jones (Foley High School, Ala.), #4 Terrell Pryor (Jeannette High School, Pa.), #9 Darrell Scott (St. Bonaventure High School, Calif.) and #28 Brandon Harris (Booker T. Washington, Fla.). Guest interviews also include: Clemson recruit #1 Daquan Bowers (Bamberg-Ehrardt High School, S.C.), University of Florida recruit #37 Omar Hunter (Buford High School, Ga.), University of Southern California recruits #68 Khaled Holmes (Mater Dei High School, Calif.) and junior quarterback Matt Barkley (Mater Dei High School, Calif.), LSU head coach Les Miles, Miami (Fla.) head coach Randy Shannon, University of Georgia head coach Mark Richt, Clemson University head coach Tommy Bowden, University of Texas head coach Mack Brown and Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.

ESPN.com will stream the entire seven-hour ESPNU Recruiting Insider: National Signing Day. In addition, ESPN.com will provide specialized on-demand video packages key of Signing Day coverage following the event, as well as video highlights breaking down key recruits and the recruiting classes from all BCS conferences and schools.

On National Signing Day, “RecruitTracker,” the signature tool and information clearinghouse for ESPN Recruiting coverage, will update signings as they happen. The ESPN Scouts Inc., “Briefing Room” offers a single destination to follow the latest news and updates to all the top recruits and schools and will be updated constantly throughout the day, and Signing Day Blog will provide up-to-the-minute analysis and commentary. ESPN's SportsNation social Web hub will host a Marathon Chat featuring Scouts, Inc. analysts, as well as a number of the players announcing their commitments that day. When the dust settles, analysts Tom Luginbill, Craig Haubert, Billy Tucker and Bill Conley will compile their ranking of the Top 25 recruiting classes in the country and will grade and analyze all schools in the BCS conference.

ESPN Radio will offer its listeners coverage of National Signing Day through several of its most popular franchises, including Mike & Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Mike Tirico Show and SportsNation.

"New to the ESPN family, RISE Magazine, one of the nation’s largest high school sports publications, will provide in-depth coverage of National Signing Day on RISEMAG.com, focusing on the top 25 recruits in each of the 25 markets that RISE publishes regionally customized issues. Some of the content featured will include athlete profiles, lifestyle content, photo galleries, as well as a look into next year’s recruiting class with player rankings and a special in-depth look at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) junior quarterback Matt Barkley."

Year-long recruiting coverage is available at Recruiting Insider on ESPN.com, which provides in-depth national news and information about the athletes that will be the future of top college athletic programs around the country. Part of ESPN.com’s Insider content section, Recruiting Insider harnesses the expertise and resources of the professionals at Scouts, Inc. to examine top prospects, deliver insight and analysis of top programs, and provide rankings of top players and recruiting classes – including The ESPN150, a full prospect list, and a school-by-school index:

* The ESPN 150 is Recruiting Insider’s nationwide ranking of top prep football prospects. The ranking pulls from scouting information and evaluations of nearly 3,200 prep prospects. Each ranked player receives a written evaluation from Scouts, Inc., based on a mix of scouting and film review from a group of professionals with a combined 130 years of experience in professional- and college-level scouting, coaching or both.
* In addition to The 150, the site also offers a full prospect list that indexes a sortable database of all of the 3,200 recruits, including full gradings and evaluations based on film and in-person scouting.
* The school-by-school index provides (pre-signing day) a comprehensive rundown of commitments and players considering that school’s program, including their rankings by position, overall grade, in-depth player evaluations, and a comprehensive rundown of each signing class as they commit.

Find all of ESPN.com National Signing Day Tools at:

* Recruit Tracker ESPN150: http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/espn150 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/news/story?id=3187239
* Recruit Tracker - School-by-School index: http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/school
* Recruit Tracker - all prospects: http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/prospects
* ESPN Scouts Inc. Briefing Room: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/briefingroom
* ESPN Insider Recruiting Index: http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/recruiting/football/index

Source: ESPN

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