"The Dream of the College Football Playoff Starts on National Signing Day"
National Signing Day: ESPNU to Televise Marathon Coverage for 10th Straight Year
· 11 Hours of Television
· More than 15 Live Commitments from Nation's Top Recruits
· Reporters Embedded on College Campuses
· SportsCenter Reports throughout the Day
· SEC Network, Longhorn Network, ESPN3, ESPN.com's Recruiting Nation and ESPN Audio Contribute to Comprehensive Coverage
ESPNU will be the home for National Signing Day, its 10th consecutive year covering the start of the college football season, with 11 hours of television on Wednesday, Feb. 4 (8 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET). Additionally, comprehensive coverage will be available across ESPN's various platforms including ESPN, SEC Network, Longhorn Network, ESPN.com's Recruiting Nation, ESPN3 and ESPN Audio. All National Signing Day programming will be available on WatchESPN and ESPNU National Signing Day Special will be simulcast on ESPN from 2-3 p.m.
ESPNU National Signing Day Special:
The annual ESPNU National Signing Day Special will feature college announcements from top recruits, analysis by recruiting and college experts, live updates on college campuses from reporters and up-to-the-minute news and information on social media. Numerous college head coaches will be interviewed throughout the day.
· Studio Coverage: ESPNU National Signing Day Special will originate from ESPN's studios in Charlotte with Rece Davis and Matt Schick serving as hosts. ESPN national recruiting director Tom Luginbill will be a staple throughout the day with college football analysts Mike Bellotti, Desmond Howard, Danny Kanell, and David Pollack. Recruiting analyst Craig Haubert will also be in studio.
· Live Commitments: More than 15 top recruits are scheduled to make their college announcements on ESPNU National Signing Day Special. This year's class adds to an impressive roster of players who have declared their college decision live on ESPNU, including 2013 No. 1 recruit Ole Miss defensive end Robert Nkemdiche and 2012 No. 1 recruit Florida State defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr. Since 2006, more than 80 football players have announced their college destinations live on ESPNU's National Signing Day coverage.
Please note: A full list of live commitments and times will be announced in the coming days
· Campus Connection: ESPNU's National Signing Day presence extends across the country with 14 reporters embedded on college campuses, including Ohio State, the 2015 College Football Playoff National Champions, and Alabama, which has had the top recruiting class each of the last three years on RecruitingNation.com. The reporters will provide up-to-the-minute news and interviews throughout the day on both ESPNU National Signing Day Special and SportsCenter:
School Reporter
Alabama Kaylee Hartung
Auburn Ryan McGee
Clemson Jeannine Edwards
Florida Laura Rutledge
Florida State Marty Smith
LSU Niki Noto
Michigan Pedro Gomez
Notre Dame Paul Carcaterra
Ohio State Quint Kessenich
Penn State Brit McHenry
Southern California Holly Rowe
Tennessee Tony Barnhart
Texas Jane Slater
Texas A&M Kayce Smith
Reporter assignments are scheduled to change
· Insider Room: ESPNU will debut a National Signing Day insider room. Featuring ESPN Recruiting Nation writers and ESPN's social media team (@ESPNCFB and @CollegeGameDay), it will provide an inside look at breaking news and developments across all media. Writers contributing will be Jeremy Crabtree, Erik McKinney, Derek Tyson, and Tom VanHaaren.
· Recruiting Day Expert: ESPN national recruiting director Tom Luginbill heads into his 10th year as ESPN's National Signing Day expert. Luginbill oversees the ESPN high school player rankings, which includes the evaluation of 1500 players who are underclassman. During the regular season, he is a college football studio analyst and sideline analyst on telecasts with Dave Pasch and Brian Griese.
· Ten Years and Counting: Since 2006, ESPNU has been the foundation for ESPN's National Signing Day coverage. Via ESPN MediaZone, a look back at key moments, quotes, and highlights of ESPNU's 2012, 2013 and 2014 National Signing Day coverage.
· What's on Tap: The day before National Signing Day, ESPNU National Signing Day Preview (Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 4 p.m.) will provide an all-encompassing summary of the college football landscape heading into the 2015 season. The two-hour telecast will be hosted by Schick with analysts Bellotti, and Haubert. College Football Live will be televised at its normal time - 2:30 p.m. on ESPN - on the eve of National Signing Day.
National Signing Day Coverage across ESPN's Platforms:
· SEC Network: The 24-hour channel dedicated to the Southeastern Conference will host a National Signing Day special from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. with live interviews planned with all 14 coaches. Dari Nowkhah will host, joined by SEC Network analysts Greg McElroy and Booger McFarland along with recruiting analyst Derek Tyson. News emanating from National Signing Day will continue to be talked about on The Paul Finebaum Show (3 p.m.) and SEC Now will recap the day (11 p.m.)
· Longhorn Network: The network devoted to the University of Texas will have six hours of Signing Day coverage. Host Lowell Galindo, analyst Ricky Williams and reporter Jane Slater will be live from the Texas campus from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., while Kevin Dunn, Ahmad Brooks, David Thomas and Max Olson will break down each recruit in the 2015 class from the LHN studio. Head Coach Charlie Strong's press conference will also be televised live later in the day and a Longhorn Extra Signing Day Special recapping the Class of 2015 is scheduled to air at 6:30 p.m.
· Social Media: Player announcements will be shared in real time via @ESPNCFB, with @CollegeGameDay providing the video link to each player's announcement shortly thereafter. Also, @RecruitingESPN will offer player commitment predictions and updated class rankings throughout the day. Fans can take part in the conversation by tagging their tweets with #SigningDay.
· Recruiting Nation: Before the kick off to the 2015 season, fans can learn more about the No.1 recruit in the in ESPN 300, defensive end Byron Cowart from Seffner, Fla., in this video feature: Student of the Game. On February 4, fans can interact with experts on RecruitingNation.com via live chats starting at 8 a.m. and continuing throughout the day. Additionally, at the conclusion of National Signing Day, Recruiting Nation will rank the top 75 recruiting classes and provide grades for all major conference programs.
· ESPN Audio: Championship Drive, ESPN's college football podcast, will produce two National Signing Day specials, both hosted by senior college football writer Ivan Maisel. ESPN Recruiting Nation writers Crabtree, Tyson and Van Haaren will preview National Signing Day with Maisel (Tuesday, Feb. 3) and Luginbill will recap the day, also with Maisel (Thursday, Feb. 5).
· ESPN3: ESPN3 will carry six exclusive school-produced specials on National Signing Day at Buffalo (7 a.m.), Georgia Tech (8:30 a.m.), Duke (9 a.m.), Monmouth (12 p.m.), Northern Illinois (3 p.m.), and Florida State (6:30 p.m.). Each show will also be available on replay via ESPN3
|