Kurz picks up first Pac-10 offer

Cody Kurz said he has heard regularly from about 24 colleges and a couple offers have already arrived for the Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure linebacker who could receive more before his senior season starts.

Colorado was the first school to offer, surprisingly sending one to Kurz, a 6-foot-3, 238-pound prospect, on Sept. 1. It came out of nowhere, Kurz said, because the Buffaloes hadn't talked with him at all before he saw the offer letter in the mail.

"I've never really looked into them," he said. "I knew who they were because a guy from my school, Darrell Scott, went there but besides that I hadn't thought about them. Then they offered me on the first day I could get a letter, September 1, of my junior year and it was like, where did this come from?"

A second offer from Washington has arrived and it looks like Kurz has serious interest in the Huskies not only because it's in the Pac-10 but he likes coach Steve Sarkisian, who is aggressively recruiting top talent in southern California. Kurz said he will certainly give Washington serious consideration.

"Their program looks they're putting it together," Kurz said. "The coach (Sarkisian) comes down here and he has plans about what he wants to do at the school and how he wants me and my friend Jalen (Jefferson) to contribute to it and everything.

"It seems like he has everything coming together. He has a lot of experience so he knows what he's doing. It's not his first time out there."

Arizona, LSU, Notre Dame and Texas are other schools being considered by Kurz, who is playing baseball this spring so unofficial visits and junior day trips are being kept to a minimum. The St. Bonaventure standout has a baseball game Saturday but if the weather is bad he's planning to visit Southern Cal.

Many of the programs involved have seen his highlight tape and continue to send invites for junior day trips. But because baseball takes up so much of his spring schedule, getting to schools has been tough.

"They all want me to go out to camps so they can see me but my coach already sends out all my highlight tapes to them so he's taking care of me," Kurz said. "They basically already know how I play on the field. They just want to see me in person.

"Everything depends on baseball. If it rains on Saturday my game would be cancelled so I'll go down to the junior day at USC this weekend. If it doesn't rain, everything has to be planned around baseball."

Kurz, included on the Rivals 250 to watch list, said he is receiving mail from about 24 schools. LSU and Notre Dame have been seriously involved and so has Arizona, a possible destination since the California standout is taking a hard look at many Pac-10 schools.

"I know (former St. Bonaventure standout) Vaughn Dotsy and he loves it out there," Kurz said. "He basically does all the same stuff my family and I do so I'm pretty sure if he likes it out there I would, too."