GROVE CITY— Five years ago, Caleb Kolb figured he would try wrestling "just to do something different."

Now he's a national recruit.

The Grove City High senior and son of retired Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Jon Kolb has signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska next year.

The Cornhuskers finished fourth at the NCAANational Championships last season and are ranked sixth this year.

"College coaches see a lot of upside to Caleb,"Grove City assistant wrestling coach Dennis Dittrich said. "He's a late bloomer who hasn't even tapped what he can be in this sport."

Kolb was a soccer and basketball player in junior high school and decided to go out for wrestling in seventh grade.

"My older brothers did it, so I figured I'd give it a try, too," he said. "Once I got on the mat, I loved the individuality and aggressiveness of it."

Tanner Kolb wrestled at Messiah College and Eric Kolb ran track and field at Ohio University.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Kolb played football in high school, "but I knew I was too small to go anywhere there," he said.

Kolb's wrestling career caught fire toward the end of his sophomore year, which saw him finish with a 33-14 record and qualify for the state tournament.

Last year, he finished 39-5 and placed third at the state meet in the 160-pound weight class. Kolb will compete at 171 pounds in 2008-09.

Kolb's final three college choices were Nebraska, Illinois and Virginia Tech. He also was recruited, by Iowa, Virginia, Missouri and North Carolina.

Nebraska coach Mark Manning, last year's Big 12 Coach of the Year, proved to be the difference in Kolb's decision.

"All of the recruiters treat you great,"Kolb said. "But Coach Manning took me into his home, cooked me a steak dinner, I played X-Box with his kids — it was pretty nice."

"Ithink (Kolb) is one of the top kids in the country at his weight,"Manning said in a released statement. "He is another guy that wrestles with a lot of energy. He is a very hard-nosed, tough guy that has great genes."

Kolb is one of six wrestlers to sign early with Nebraska this year. One of the others is C.J. Napier, a two-time Class AAAAstate champion in Kansas.

"Penn State also wanted Caleb,"Dittrich said. "Their coach said he has the potential to be a two or three-time all-American."

During the past offseason, Kolb placed third at the National High School Coaches Association's Junior National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va.

He was part of the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Association's all-star team that competed at the Disney Duals in Orlando, Fla., in June. Kolb won all 11 of his matches at that event.

"Every one of his opponents placed third or better at his respective state tournament last year,"Dittrich said.

"I was nervous going down there,"Kolb said. "I mean, every kid on our team was a stud. I wasn't sure if I belonged.

"I wound up being the only guy on our team to go undefeated. That was pretty wild."

Grove City has sent other wrestlers to Division I programs in the past, but Kolb is the first Eagle to go at that level since Tom Tomeo signed with Clarion in 1998.