Well, Nebraska won’t be an official member of the Big Ten until 2011, but that’s precisely when their newest commit will be eligible to play for them, so I can post about this. On Saturday word broke that quarterback Bubba Starling, of Kansas’ Gardner Edgerton High School, had committed to the Cornhuskers.
Starling had offers from such schools as Alabama, Notre Dame, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech, amongst others, and is currently ranked as the third best quarterback in the 2011 class by Rivals.
It was a recent trip to Lincoln that swayed Starling.
“I kind of was leaning towards Nebraska a little bit, but then after I went there, it was last night, we had a dinner with the football staff, and baseball staff,” Starling told Huskers Illustrated. “We talked to (Associate Athletic Director for Academics) Dennis Leblanc and I just loved everything that I did last night. This morning, I went up there again and they toured us around the whole campus. That’s when I knew I was at home. I loved it.”
Now, whether or not Starling will actually line up under center for the Cornhuskers someday is a bit of a question mark. He’s not only a strong quarterback, but he excels in basketball and baseball as well. Baseball being the one sport that may end up keeping Starling from Lincoln.
As of now Bubba says he plans to play both football and baseball at Nebraska, but he’s also projected to be a top draft pick in the MLB amateur draft next season. Depending on where he’s drafted, and what kind of signing bonus he’s offered, Starling may opt to play baseball instead.
“A lot of people ask me that,” Starling said. “I just keeping telling them, I went to all these places for a reason. It’s stressful and I’ve gotten down to a college I love and that’s here at Nebraska. It’s going to take a lot in the MLB draft, honestly as far as money wise, for me to go that route. I’m really looking forward to playing football here, at a high level, in Division I, as a quarterback. There is a chance the MLB Draft could come along, but I don’t want to let them down like Carl Crawford.”
We’ll just have to wait and see.