Penn State's move to the Big Ten and its subsequent developing rivalry with Michigan has exceeded the confines of the playing field. The Wolverines, boasting the top-rated freshman class in the country, invaded Penn State's turf when they signed four of Pennsylvania's top 10 players last year.

Recruiting has become a major off-field battle between conference schools vying for the services of the nation's most prized prep football stars. When Michigan signed Aliquippa's Ty Law, it gave a rude introduction to the Big Ten's newest member.

The Wolverines followed that by signing Pennsylvania's top three players at their respective positions: Baldwin's Damon Denson, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound two-way lineman, Central Bucks West's Rob Swett, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker/fullback and Cumberland Valley's Jon Ritchie, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound fullback.

The battle lines were drawn. But the two schools marched to the beat of a different drummer. Until now.

Take Law, for instance.

"Everybody wanted him," Aliquippa Coach Frank Marocco said of the former Parade Magazine All-American. "In fact, a lot of Penn State alumni that are associated with our school were stunned that they let a kid like that get away."

Actually, the Nittany Lions never pursued the 6-feet, 184-pound cornerback. Apprehensive that he would not meet their academic standards when he failed to achieve the 700 minimum on the Scholastic Aptitude Test in his first attempt, Penn State backed off. But Michigan waited.

"They came right down and said, 'Look Ty, you're the best one-on-one coverage man we've seen on film the last seven to eight years,' " Marocco said. Meanwhile, Penn State stood flat-footed. Law's defensive backs coach in junior high was Marques Henderson, a starter on Penn State's 1986 national championship squad and a captain for the Lions' 1987 defense. An in-state star who was virtually a given, why did Law go West?

"The salesmanship of Michigan," Marocco said. "They just came across stronger and harder. I think that's 90 percent of the bottle. Your school and the history of your school is one thing. But when it comes down to that kid that's being recruited by everybody, it now becomes a matter of who sells the program."

Michigan did just that. They were in Law's house. On the telephone. Sent him letters. Alumni called him. "Michigan made a commitment," Blue White Illustrated's Phil Grosz said. "Michigan was more willing to take a gamble and it paid off."

But Ritchie was another matter. He was raised in Mechanicsburg. Lion Country. Rated the best fullback in the nation by scouting guru Max Emfinger, he would have filled the Lion's void. Instead, he now blocks for Tyrone Wheatley.

"They wanted a fullback. They targeted Jon Ritchie as number one and were very, very aggressive," Grosz said. "Every coach on the staff was on the phone with him."

It didn't hurt Michigan's chances that he wanted to go away. But Penn State finished third, behind Stanford.

"When Kyle Brady (of nearby Cedar Cliff) wasn't playing last year, there were big articles in the paper, and I think that hit home with Jon," said Cumberland Valley Coach Tim Rimpfel. "That you're so close, that if you're not playing, people are going to badger you."

While Lion fever may have actually been detrimental to Penn State's chances of signing Ritchie, Penn State recruiters persisted until the end.

"As far as Ritchie is concerned, we recruited him tooth and nail. We wanted him real bad. And you're going to lose some of those battles," said Darryl Bullock, Penn State's assistant recruiting coordinator. "We beat Michigan on Freddie Scott two years ago."

Scott, a backup split end and the only player on the Nittany Lions roster from Michigan, actually chose Penn State over his home-state Wolverines. Under pressure to sign during his visit, he originally decided to attend Michigan.

"Both schools were coming after me hard. Michigan may have recruited me harder, but I had to go with my gut feeling," said the redshirt freshman. "It came down to the school I felt I could be more successful at. Penn State was real straightforward and didn't try to hype me in the recruiting process."

Don Yannessa, who coached both Lion linebacker Brian Gelzheiser and Denson at Baldwin High School, says Penn State's decision to join a conference resulted in a new makeup of high school recruiting in Western Pennsylvania.

"It's a different deal than when you play in the east. As a result, the geography changes," Yannessa said. "The move to the Big Ten didn't hinder them at all. What it did was change the market."

As a result, Penn State's recruiting philosophy has changed, said Bullock, who played defensive tackle for the Nittany Lions from 1985-88.

"I don't know if being in the Big Ten for the first year is a major factor, but we're being more aggressive this year," Bullock said. "We're sending out offers to young men earlier than we ever have."

And the Nittany Lions already have 10 verbal commitments, including four Pennsylvania stars. When they offered a scholarship to Joe Nastasi, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound wide receiver from Northern Bedford last spring, the Nittany Lions started what might become a revolutionary trend -- offering a scholarship to high school juniors.

"Penn State felt like they had to get involved with kids early and their approach changed," Grosz said. "They never offered a scholarship to a player until he made an official visit in December or January."

What the Nittany Lions are now doing is looking at prospects at one of their three weekly summer camps. Over 500 high school football players attend the camps and interact with the coaching staff.

"It's important. It's naturally a recruiting tool," Bullock said.

It particularly helps with out-of-state recruiting. Among the verbal committment's Penn State has received, Ohio's Curtis Ennis, a 6-foot-2, 232-pound fullback from Union City and Mike Buzin, a 6-foot-5 255-pound defensive lineman from Cleveland St. Ignatius (the son of former Nittany Lion Rich Buzin) are considered All-Americans.

Ironically, the Pennsylvania position players that Penn State lost to Michigan, were filled by out-of-state recruits who chose the Nittany Lions over the Wolverines, among others, last year:

-- Kim Herring, a 5-foot-11, 203-pounder who bears a liking to Law, having played running back, wide receiver, cornerback and kick returner at Solon, Ohio. He has already drawn comparisons to O.J. McDuffie in terms of athletic ability.

-- Aaron Collins, is the last of the five brothers who have played for the Nittany Lions. A 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker/fullback, he has the capability to play effectively on either side of the ball, similarly to Swett, who chose to return to his native Ann Arbor.

"Coach Paterno doesn't talk about the freshmen often, but he is very happy with the class," Bullock said.

Despite the out-of-state recruiting success, the high school hotbed in Penn State's backyard has not lost its importance. The Keystone State remains the Nittany Lions' primary resource, Bullock said.

However, for those who thrive on competition, this recruiting rivalry probably won't favor either school.

"I think it will go back and forth because we're talking about two quality schools with quality football programs," Bullock said.

The score will have to be settled on the field.