Texas athlete draws Iowa interest

In the Class of 2002, the Iowa Hawkeyes found a dual-threat quarterback named Clinton Solomon in Ft. Worth, TX and turned him into a standout college wide receiver. Fast forward to four years later in the Class of 2006 and the Hawkeyes are back in the same area, this time just down the road in Dallas, and again looking at trying to land a high school quarterback to come help fill their needs at wide receiver.

This year the prospect is Carter High School's Michael Crabtree, who does just about everything at the high school level. As a junior, he threw for nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns, while accounting for another 469 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. After leading Carter to a 10-2 record, Crabtree then turned his attention to basketball, where he averaged 13 points and six rebounds in helping his team reach the regional quarterfinals.

While the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Crabtree is drawing recruiting attention in both sports, many feel that football is ultimately where his future lies. Several college football coaches agree and have already jumped on board with scholarship offers.

"I'm hearing from Illinois, Arizona, K-State, Iowa, and (Texas) Tech," said Crabtree. "Most of them are looking at me for receiver."

All five of the schools listed have offered a scholarship, as have Kansas, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Colorado, Wisconsin, Baylor, and Oklahoma State, among others. Currently on Crabtree's schedule is an official visit to Texas Tech next month and he could be looking to set up another trip soon.

"Iowa wants to set me up on a visit," Crabtree said. "One of their coaches came down to take a look and they offered. They said they're really impressed and want me to come up there. I really don't know too much about them, so that's why I want to really look at them and try to visit to see how they do things there."

The three-star athlete added that he also hopes to set a visit to Arizona for sometime in January. Crabtree, who said he has been timed at 4.49 in the forty this year, has a short and simple list of what he is looking for in a future college.

"I'm looking for somewhere where I'm going to play my freshman year and a place where I feel comfortable," said Crabtree.