RECRUITING: Green Valley junior Crosby weighing multiple football offers

Tyrell Crosby figured he would hear from college recruiters this spring. The Green Valley offensive lineman just didn’t expect it to be this busy.

Coaches from several Pac-12 and Mountain West schools have visited the 6-foot-6-inch, 295-pound standout, and Crosby is projected to be one of the state’s top recruits in the class of 2014.

“It’s been new to me, but it’s kind of fun going through this process for the first time,” Crosby said. “All the attention for all your hard work finally paying off.”

Crosby, a first-team all-state selection as a junior after helping the Gators finish 9-2, has scholarship offers from Oregon, San Diego State, UNLV, UNR and Utah.

He also is drawing interest from Washington State and a handful of Southeastern Conference schools, including two-time defending national champion Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee.

“He’s had a lot of traffic,” Green Valley coach Brian Castro said. “We haven’t had those kind of coaches on campus in the last couple years. I think it just shows our program is headed in the right direction.”

Crosby said he prefers to stay close to home and lists Oregon and Utah as his top two schools.

“(Oregon has) the same offense we run at this school, and also they’re just known for winning,” Crosby said. “I’ve always been a Utah fan. I was born in Salt Lake City and lived there for seven years.”

Crosby was not included in Rivals.com’s initial rankings of the top 250 players in the class of 2014, but he will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents before his senior season.

“It’s something to work toward,” he said.

Crosby is scheduled to participate in the Rivals Camp Series on March 9 at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz. He will attend junior days at Utah next month and Oregon in April and will participate in Oregon’s summer camp in June.

Crosby said he is in no rush to make an oral commitment and expects to go on his official visits this fall.

“It’s been exciting,” Castro said. “He’s a good kid, he’s athletic, and he’s big. Those intangibles don’t always come together in one package.”

STARKS RECOGNIZED — Bishop Gorman running back Nathan Starks was ranked No. 26 overall in the Rivals250 rankings, the only player from the state to make the list.

Starks, who rushed for 1,821 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior, has scheduled an unofficial visit to Notre Dame for this spring and favors the Fighting Irish along with Arizona, Oklahoma, Southern California and Texas, according to several recruiting websites.

“He’s giving everybody a hard look,” Gorman coach Tony Sanchez said. “He’s not close to making a decision.”

Gorman quarterback Randall Cunningham recently was offered a scholarship by Baylor, Sanchez said. Also, offensive lineman Nick Gates has offers from Arizona, UNR and Washington State, and defensive back Armand Perry has an offer from UNR.