These days, National Signing Day is as big of a television event as the national championship game. With wall-to-wall coverage from multiple TV networks, recruits are stars even before they step on campus.

With all that extra attention paid, there have been some interesting tales associated with recruitments, and many big-name recruits have had their college decision well-publicized. Recruits like CeCe Jefferson and Byron Cowart had some drama around them this year, but that was minor compared to some of the sagas of years past.

Let’s take a look at some of the most well-publicized recruitments in recent years. Got a favorite recruitment story? Drop it in the comments below.

Jadeveon Clowney

Any school in the country would have loved to have Clowney join their program, the top-rated recruit in the nation in 2011 from Rock Hill, S.C. He started getting offers before his junior year, after he racked up 17 sacks as a sophomore, and from there they piled up.

In-state schools South Carolina and Clemson were considered front-runners, and Alabama made a stir when Nick Saban hired Chris Rumph away from Clemson after he’d spent time recruiting Clowney. However, Alabama’s 3-4 defense made Clowney one of the few prospects to say “no thanks” to the Tide, as he didn’t think he’d fit in there.

When National Signing Day came in 2011, Clowney didn’t commit like just about every other prospect in the nation. In fact, after he eventually signed with South Carolina, he indicated that he didn’t even make a decision until the night before he made his announcement. Clowney took a late visit to Clemson, and in an ESPN interview on signing day said the Tigers had moved into his top three, while his mother waffled between wanting him to attend South Carolina and Clemson.

Clowney took to the stage at his high school on his 18th birthday, Feb. 14, 2011, to announce his decision. Wearing a garnet-colored shirt, Clowney pulled on a matching “SC” hat to indicate his decision to join the Gamecocks, ending the hoopla.

Cordell Broadus

Plenty of athletes follow in their father’s footsteps. Judging by his appearances at all kinds of sporting events and his youth football league, it’s more likely Snoop Dogg would have loved to be like his son, Cordell. From a young age, Snoop reportedly paid his son a pretty handsome amount of money to start playing football, getting him involved in the game as young as six years old.

Originally from southern California, the D-O-Double-G moved his family to Las Vegas so Cordell could play wide receiver at Bishop Gorman High School, a powerhouse high school football program, where the young Broadus played alongside several other top-flight FBS recruits on one of the top teams in the nation.

Cordell’s senior year at Bishop Gorman was chronicled in an ESPN show, Snoop & Son, which followed not just the team and Broadus but also Cordell’s relationship with his father.

By the end of his recruitment, Cordell narrowed his choices down to three schools: Arizona State, UCLA and Southern California. The Doggfather has long been a noted USC fan, put he apparently kept his rooting interests out of the decision-making process, as Cordell wound up choosing UCLA as his college destination.

Bryce Brown

In 2009, Brown was the most sought-after prospect in the nation. The running back was rated as the top player in the country coming out of Wichita, Kan., and he had his pick of any school in the nation.

These days, it’s not uncommon for fans to subscribe to a variety of websites in order to get “insider information” on their team’s recruiting news. One of Brown’s handlers took that to another level, charging $9.99 per month for updates on the high schooler’s workouts and recruitment. The handler indicated that Brown might skip college altogether and join the Canadian Football League, which Brown himself shot down. The whole ordeal led to an investigation into the situation, of which Brown was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

When Brown’s older brother Arthur (now with the Baltimore Ravens) committed to Miami (Fla.), many expected Bryce to do the same. In fact, he did, giving the Hurricanes a verbal commitment. However, he didn’t sign with the ‘Canes on NSD, instead opting to announce his decision a month later despite his verbal commitment.

Unfortunately, in that month between signing day and Brown’s planned announcement, Brown’s National Letter of Intent from Miami expired, and the school wouldn’t reissue a new one. Brown ended up signing with Tennessee when he eventually announced his decision.

Of course, Brown’s saga didn’t end there. He played one season in Knoxville, rushing for 460 yards and three scores while backing up Montario Hardesty. After Lane Kiffin left to coach Southern Cal, Brown decided to change schools as well. He transferred back home to Kansas State, just a few weeks after his brother Arthur did the same. Brown ended up playing 15 games for the Wildcats before leaving early for the NFL. He went undrafted, but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and now plays with the Buffalo Bills.

Landon Collins

Who could forget what Collins went through with his mom when he announced his college decision? The Louisiana native had narrowed down his choices to a pair of schools in 2012: his home-state school, LSU, and Alabama. At the Under Armour All-American Game, Collins announced his choice on air, picking the Crimson Tide.

While Alabama-LSU recruiting battles are nothing new, the reaction from Collins’ mother, April Justin, drew plenty of attention, as she shook her head while wearing purple.

As it turns out, Justin didn’t take too kindly too Nick Saban. Instead of assuring her that her son would be getting a good education, Justin alleged that Saban told her that Collins would be a first-round NFL draft pick and thereby make millions of dollars if he went to Alabama, saying that the coach stereotyped her. On top of that, Alabama may have offered Collins’ girlfriend a job in the football offices, which also didn’t sit well with Collins’ mom.

Of course, none of that seemed to matter to Collins, who said he made his decision a good two years before he signed with the Crimson Tide. Collins didn’t end up as a first round pick, sliding to the second round earlier this month, but he does still stand to draw a nice paycheck.