http://omaha.com/article/20100619/BI...m-four-star-qb
Bubba Starling may never touch the pigskin in Husker red.
But a simple pledge reportedly given Saturday — to roam the field at Memorial Stadium if he does ever decide to play college football — is enough to create excitement for Nebraska fans.
Now comes the wait.
Starling, a four-star quarterback prospect out of Gardner, Kan., gave NU a verbal commitment Saturday, according to rivals.com. He chose the Huskers over offers from defending national champion Alabama, Notre Dame, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville and Texas Tech.
A projected first-round pick in next summer’s Major League Baseball draft, however, Starling could have a multi-million dollar deal thrown his way at this time next year. And a major decision to make.
“He’s probably going to be tempted with several dollars,” Gardner Edgerton baseball coach Jerald Van Rheen said. “I don’t know how that is going to shake out.”
Nebraska fans have been through a situation like this before. Carl Crawford gave NU a commitment to play quarterback, but was chosen high in the MLB draft and elected to play baseball. He’s since become one of the top outfielders in the game for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound Starling touched 95 mph on the radar gun numerous times this spring, even getting to 96 once VanRheen said. The coach wouldn’t be surprised to see 97 or 98 next season.
Starling followed up a sophomore season in which he hit .581 by hitting .508 as a junior.
“And that was a down year,” the coach joked.
Some scouts think he could be a dominating force on the mound. VanRheen says he would make a pretty good everyday player in centerfield, too.
What about football?
Starling took the Trailblazers to the state championship game last fall. He threw for over 1,400 yards, ran for over 1,300 more (the second year in a row he went over 1,000 in both) and scored 37 touchdowns.
Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country, and the No. 99 prospect overall.
He’s also got highlight-reel dunking ability on the basketball court, all part of the growing legend behind Bubba.
“He’s not just really good at all three,” VanRheen said. “He’s hands down the best player on the baseball field when he plays a game. He’s hands down the best on football field. He’s as good as they come in basketball.”
Gardner Edgerton football coach Marvin Diener takes it one step further.
“I don’t know if Kansas will ever see a three-sport athlete like him,” Diener told the Kansas City Star earlier last month.
There you have it...