Ian Handshy expected to spend this summer in the weight room, working on becoming bigger, faster and stronger for the sake of Lawrence High football.

Now Handshy has something else in mind while pumping iron and doing wind sprints — NCAA Division I-A football.

Handshy has joined a list of who’s who among top football recruits in Kansas. Among universities interested in the LHS senior are Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska. He has attended each of their football camps this summer.

“I think I impressed,” Handshy said. “I think I did a good job of getting myself noticed by the coaches.”

With his solid showing at those three camps, as well as the Nike Camp in Iowa City, Iowa, Handshy has popped up on the national recruiting radar. Among other things, he was listed as one of the top linebacking prospects in the nation by fab50recruiting.com. He was the only Kansan to make the list, which consists of about 70 prep linebackers.

Although Big 12 Conference coaches, including KU coach Mark Mangino, are waiting to see more of him this fall before making a scholarship offer, they have let Handshy know that they’re interested.

“Coach Mangino pulled me aside at the KU camp,” Handshy said. “He told me they’ll be watching me my senior year.”

Handshy certainly has the physical attributes to play big-time college football. At 6-foot-1 and a muscular 210 pounds, Handshy runs a 4.56 40-yard dash, has an impressive vertical leap and — should he gain 10-15 pounds of muscle his senior year — will have the body of a college linebacker, usually the best athletes on the field.

He also has a 3.6 grade-point average, and it never hurts to have the ability to boost team GPA, often a sore spot among Division I-A football programs.

As a junior, Handshy was a linebacker and running back for Lawrence High, which finished 7-3 and advanced to the Class 6A state playoffs under coach Dirk Wedd. On defense, Handshy made many pad-crushing hits at linebacker. As a running back, he averaged 8.4 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns. He also added a TD reception off a fake field goal.

Handshy was one of the Lions’ top rebounders in basketball as well as the fastest man on the track team. His 100-meter dash time was consistently around 11 seconds.

“He could grow into an outside linebacker,” said Jon Kirby of rivals.com, “but with his speed and ability, the very least you can do is get him on the field with special teams. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t end up a Division I football player.”

Handshy is one of a handful of Sunflower League football players receiving heavy interest from top-rung NCAA schools.

Shawnee Mission North quarterback Mack Brown, an exceptional pocket passer, has received an offer from Colorado, according to rivals.com. Olathe East running back Andre Jones, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards as a junior, also is receiving lots of love from Big 12 coaches, mostly as a wide receiver.

Another area player, Ottawa lineman Caleb Blakesley, already has offers from KU and Wyoming.

Now, it appears the word is out on Handshy.

“Coach Wedd came to me and said, ‘This is a kid you’re going to have to keep your eye on,'” Kirby said. “Wedd’s been around football a long time. He knows what a Division I prospect is supposed to look like.”