Iowa State trying to stay on top of Big 12 battle for Sterling Galban

DALLAS, Tex. -- A Big 12 recruiting battle is brewing, and at the center of it all is three-star wide receiver Sterling Galban.

Galban committed to Iowa State earlier this spring, but since then, two conference rivals in TCU and Texas Tech have offered and it seems the Red Raiders in particular could be making a move in the right direction.

“I really like Tech,” he said. “They’re really up there because I like how deep their receiving corps is right now, how early I can play, and where they want to use me is the same role as Keke Coutee and Jonathan Giles played last year, so I could be a big play-maker in the offense, probably as a freshman.”

Galban said that playing for an in-state program isn’t a deal-breaker other than giving his family more of a chance to watch him play in college, and Lubbock isn’t exactly right down the street from his home in Burnet, Texas. He said that he plans on making visits back to both Tech and TCU this summer.

On TCU

“I like them,” he said. “I went up and visited, saw the facilities and all the coaches are cool. They really have been telling me how many receivers that they’re taking this year, so it would be good for me to come in and get the chance to play early.”

“I’m still looking into them and allowing them to recruit me,” he added. “I’m just taking my time and seeing how they try to recruit me and all that.”

On his recent trip to Iowa State

“The visit was pretty nice,” he said. “I brought Ta’Zhawn (Henry) and Christian Young with me, and Re-Al Mitchell so we had a good time, it was fun.”

On why Henry named Iowa State his leader and Christian Young pushed forward his commitment after their visit

“It was probably just everything,” he said. “Honestly, how much hospitality the coaches show is a big part of things and their facilities are really under-the-radar because everything they have is so nice. Not a lot of people know about that, and getting the chance to go up there and visit, getting the feel for everything, it’s unbelievable when you get up there.”

Tech seems to be the clear No. 2 choice for now behind Iowa State, but the Cyclones have found a lot of positive momentum on the recruiting trail as of late, and whipping together a group of Texas prospects that can all stay involved with each other is a smart strategy.

Galban has some of the best feet on a receiver in the state and a number of teams could benefit by adding him to their class. He still seems a firm commitment to Iowa State for the time being, but TCU and Tech will be pesky teams to try and hold off.