Head Coach Willie Taggart said there will always be competition at quarterback as long as he’s at WKU.

It appears there will be at least one new signal-caller in that fray next season — if not more.

James Mauro, a senior quarterback at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, told the Herald Thursday that he’s verbally committed to the Toppers.

Mauro, ranked a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, said he’d just called Taggart to tell him the news.

Taggart can’t comment on potential recruits until college football’s signing day, which is Feb. 2.

The 6-foot-7-inch Mauro took an official visit to WKU the weekend of Dec. 10 and told the Herald after the trip that he wanted some more time to think about his decision.

“I just wanted to talk with my family some more and make sure it was the best place for me to go,” Mauro said. “I wasn’t really waiting for anything else, but I wanted to see if anything else did happen that I didn’t know about.”

Mauro said he’d been in contact with Colorado, Wake Forest and Arizona since his visit to WKU, but that Bowling Green was the place for him in the end.

“I didn’t want to wait too long and miss out on an opportunity like this,” he said. “I feel really good about my decision.”

Mauro completed 121-of-212 passes for 1,676 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He is also playing basketball as a center for L.D. Bell.

He was primarily recruited for WKU by defensive backs coach Clayton White.

Mauro would be just the third quarterback on WKU’s current roster, along with sophomore Kawaun Jakes and freshman Brandon Doughty.

Mauro told the Herald on Dec. 8 that the WKU coaches had informed him that junior quarterback Matt Pelesasa has left the team. Taggart and the rest of the Toppers’ staff have yet to comment on Pelesasa’s status.

Because of that void, Mauro said quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford recently told him that WKU will likely pursue one more quarterback recruit to give the Toppers four on roster.

He said he’s been told that the position battle will be an open competition, which is a challenge he welcomes.

“I want to put on some weight, but I definitely do want to play as soon as possible,” he said. “If I get the chance to compete for a spot, I’m going to take advantage of it and do my best. I know Kawaun and Brandon are good guys, and they’re both going to compete along with me.”