Notre Dame, Florida State Land Bumper Crops : National Championship Gives Irish Edge; Seminoles Recruit Well at Home

The resurgence of the Notre Dame football program, which last month claimed its first national championship in 11 years, continued apace Wednesday on the first day high school seniors could sign letters of intent.

“Notre Dame right now is probably the most feared school in college football,” said talent scout Tom Lemming of Chicago, who described the Irish recruiting class as the nation’s best.

As usual, the Irish scoured the country to accumulate what most observers believe is the country’s premier list of recruits.

Notre Dame went only to nearby Goshen, Ind., for Rick Mirer, considered by many as the country’s No. 1 high school quarterback last season, but the Irish also went to:

--Syracuse, N.Y., for running back Dorsey Levens.

--Berwick, Pa., for another heavily recruited quarterback, Jake Kelchner.

--Seattle for linebacker Demetrius DuBose, one of the top athletes on the West Coast.

--Los Angeles for linebacker Erik Simien of Serra High in Gardena.

--Tomball, Tex., for lineman Stuart Tyner.

--Athens, Ga., for defensive back Adrian Jarrell.

--Pemberton, N.J., for tight end Irv Smith, who had orally committed to Florida State before changing his mind.

All told, the Irish signed more than two dozen highly regarded prospects, including 11 of Lemming’s top 100. According to Lemming, Notre Dame turned down six high school All-Americans who were recruited by every major college in the country.

“After a national championship season, people are more receptive,” said Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz, who declined to discuss individual players. “They’re more confident in you as far as knowing you can win at Notre Dame because a few years ago they were saying we couldn’t win.”

Another talent scout, Max Emfinger of Houston, also praised Notre Dame’s recruiting class, but said that Florida State’s was even better.

“I’m not taking anything away from Notre Dame,” Emfinger said. “It’s great to finish first or second.”

Most of the Seminoles’ recruits are from Florida, including Kenny Felder of Niceville, a highly regarded quarterback prospect; Eric Turral of Tallahassee, a wide receiver, and 6-foot-6, 250-pound Sterling Palmer of Ft. Lauderdale, who is said to be the state’s No. 1 defensive line prospect.

“This is the first time it’s ever been like this,” Coach Bobby Bowden told the Tallahassee Democrat. “We turned down a lot of kids. It’s just amazing how many players there are in the state of Florida. . . .

“We have more that will be able to contribute right off the bat than ever before.”

According to Emfinger, Florida State signed eight “impact players,” all of whom earned Emfinger’s highest rating. No other school signed more than three, Emfinger said.

“It’s phenomenal,” he said.

Also recruiting well, Emfinger said, were UCLA, USC, Ohio State, LSU, Texas, Miami, Georgia, Nebraska, Michigan, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Penn State. But no school recruited as well as Florida State and Notre Dame, he said.

“They’re clearly the top two,” he said. “They’re both awesome.”

In other developments:

--Russell White of Encino Crespi, the state’s all-time leading rusher, signed with California.

“I don’t need to improve my game,” said White, whose goal is to become the first freshman in history to win the Heisman Trophy. “Just give me a line and a quarterback to give me the ball and we got action.”

White, though, may not be eligible. He has yet to score 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the minimum required by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.

--Bob Whitfield of Wilmington Banning, a 6-7, 275-pound offensive lineman, signed with Stanford. Whitfield, a consensus choice as the country’s No. 1 line prospect, was the focal point of “the surprise class of ‘89,” in the words of Allen Wallace, editor of SuperPrep magazine of Costa Mesa.

Among the Cardinal’s other recruits was Paul Stonehouse of L.A. Loyola High, regarded by some as the nation’s No. 1 kicking prospect.

--Among Ohio State’s highly regarded group of recruits were Ty Morrison, a 6-4, 230-pound linebacker from San Diego, and Alonzo Spellman, a 6-6, 260-pound defensive end from Rancocas Valley, N.J.

--Linebacker Jessie Armstead of Dallas, regarded by SuperPrep as the nation’s No. 1 high school player last season when he led his team to the Texas Class 5A championship, signed with Miami, as did another highly regarded Dallas native, wide receiver Kevin Williams, who was recruited by UCLA.

--Running back Michael Bates of Tucson, considered among the top half-dozen prospects in the West, signed with Arizona. The Wildcats also signed Johnny Johnson, a running back from Channel Islands High in Oxnard.

--Tamasi Amituanai, a 6-4, 305-pound nose tackle from Vista High in Oceanside, signed with Colorado. Amituanai, considered to be the No. 1 defensive line prospect in the West, is a cousin of Colorado quarterback Sal Aunese.

--Tommie Smith of Antelope Valley High, considered the state’s leading running back prospect, signed with Washington. Smith is expected to be a Prop. 48 casualty, which lessened the interest of USC and UCLA. He is expected to miss his freshman season because of NCAA entrance requirements.

--Running back Derek Brown of Anaheim Servite signed with Nebraska. He also is expected to be a Prop. 48 casualty.