Snagging the state’s top prospects is the aspiration of every sport at every college in the United States.

Kansas University’s football program took another step toward such a goal for 2006.

Rivals.com reported Thursday that Shawnee Mission West quarterback Tyler Lawrence gave the Jayhawks his non-binding oral commitment after workouts at two different KU football camps this month convinced the Jayhawk coaches to offer a scholarship.

“I got familiar with their coaches,” Lawrence told rivals. “They saw something in me they liked.”

Lawrence, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander, will be a senior for the Vikings this fall. In 2004, SM West experienced a dramatic turnaround, reaching the Class 6A state semifinals and finishing with a 9-3 record, one year after going 2-7.

With Lawrence’s pledge, KU now has five known commitments for 2006. At this time last year, it had one — offensive lineman Jose Rodriguez from La Puente, Calif.

¢ Team GPA: KU’s football team garnered a 2.59 team grade-point average for the spring semester, much to the delight of KU coach Mark Mangino.

“Our mission here is to build a football program and work hard for success in the classroom,” Mangino said. “Our players have responded.”