National Signing Day 2012: LSU Football Recruiting, Latest from Baton Rouge

It hasn't exactly been an easy January for LSU coach Les Miles. 

First, he had to watch his Tigers get dismantled and embarrassed by Alabama in the BCS championship game. 

Then, he had to wave goodbye to three of his top players from the 2011 season—WR Rueben Randle, DT Michael Brockers and CB Mo Claiborne, who all decided to leave school early and declare for the 2012 NFL draft. 

And finally, he had to deal with QB Gunner Kiel, one of the most decorated and highly rated commitments of LSU's 2012 recruiting class, surprisingly switch courses and enroll at Notre Dame. 

Needless to say, good old Les could probably use a hug or two right about now, but what he could also use is another top-rated recruiting class, and thankfully, him and his coaching staff have put LSU in great position to land just that. 

With National Signing Day now just a week away, it looks like the Tigers are ready to bring in another top-notch crop of talent in 2012, however, there's been both good news and bad news on the recruiting front this past week. 

Here's a look at some of the key recent developing storylines involving LSU recruits.

WR Cordarrelle Patterson Enjoyed His Visit

WR Cordarrelle Patterson, one of the top JUCO recruits in the country, reportedly enjoyed his visit to Baton Rouge this past weekend. Patterson, who is rated as a 5-star prospect by Scout.com and a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com, was hosted on the trip by QB Zach Mettenberger.

The 6'4'', 205-pound Patterson didn't receive the type of recruiting attention he was hoping for coming out of South Carolina's Northwestern High School in 2009, but he really made a name for himself at Hutchinson Community College this past season, and he now has offers from SEC schools such as Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and Tennessee. 

Patterson has now paid a visit to all five schools, but it was Les Miles who was able to get the last crack at him, and that might end up making a big difference in his decision. 

DE Mario Edwards Sounds Solid on Florida State

It’s official ima Nole.

With one simple tweet, No. 1 defensive end recruit Mario Edwards dashed all hopes that LSU fans had of possibly stealing the Florida State commit away from the Seminoles.

The Texas native took a final trip to Baton Rouge this past weekend, but apparently it wasn't enough to sway his decision, as he now sounds firm on his commitment to Florida State. 

Adding a recruit the caliber of Edwards to the 2012 class would have been a major coup for Les Miles, but unless there's some drastic unforeseen change over the next week, it sounds like he's headed to Tallahassee. 

CB Tracy Howard Will Stay in State

Tracy Howard, a 5-star cornerback prospect, has decided to take his last official visit to Miami instead of LSU this weekend, which means that he's almost certain to stay in the state of Florida and play for either Florida, Florida State or Miami. 

Howard showed some interest in the Tigers throughout the process, but this news means that the Florida native is most likely interested in staying in his home state instead of coming to Baton Rouge. 

LB Kwon Alexander Remains the Most Realistic Top Target

LB Kwon Alexander is one of the top uncommitted recruits remaining on the market, but he hasn't yet given an indication of where he plans to play his college ball. 

Alexander has made it clear, though, that he's down to three choices—Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

Alexander will announce his decision on National Signing Day, and it will be interesting to see if the Alabama native will spurn his two home-state schools in favor of the Tigers. 

QB Jeremy Liggins Rules out LSU

After visiting LSU this past weekend, QB Jeremy Liggins has apparently made up his mind and decided that he would rather stay in his home state of Mississippi than come play for the Tigers. 

Liggins told 247sports.com that he had scratched LSU from his list and that he wanted to stay in state and represent Mississippi. 

The Oxford native holds offers from both Mississippi and Mississippi State. 

With this news, it now seems very unlikely that the Tigers will be able to land a top quarterback recruit in this year's class to make up for the hole that Gunner Kiel left.