Calloway nearing decision

The process was supposed to over by now. Last Friday, Tere Calloway was supposed to pick a school, put an end to the questions and close the book on his recruitment. Things so rarely happen the way they're supposed to, though.

And so the cornerback has given himself a seven-day extension.

Now, his announcement will come On Jan. 18. No decision has been made yet and there is no definite lean. This isn't a case of Calloway protecting his choice for secrecy's sake. Just more than a week before his commitment, the only thing that's certain is his list of favorites.

"I still don't know where," Calloway said. "The top three are pretty much duking it out. It might come down to Friday between Southern Miss, Nevada and SMU."

Obviously, Calloway has done plenty of thinking. He breaks down the pros of each of his options in detail and without prompt. You'll need to forgive him if he rambles on about the three frontrunners, but he has a lot of opinions - opinions he'll need to sort out in the coming 72 hours. He starts by talking himself through each one.

"At Southern Miss, the football aspects of everything are great for me," Calloway said. "Coach [Todd] Monken just came in. They just hired a new cornerbacks coach from Tennessee and a safety coach that was coaching at LSU. They are ready to have a huge, comeback year. I can get early playing time there.

"With SMU, I have family in Dallas and friends already committed there. They want me to play safety, which is, I think, my natural position. Coaches told me that I could have been a starting safety this year as high school senior. There is playing time there. The academics there are through the roof. Then, with Nevada, I think it's just the best balance between academics and football. It's closer to home. I'm real close with the coaching staff."

Indiana and San Jose State have also been in recent contact, and Calloway feels as though both will offer shortly. He won't rule anything out as it relates to his recruitment, but each of the newcomers will have an uphill battle to fight.

"I'm talking to the new schools and hoping for some new offers, but it's probably down to the top three," Calloway said. "I really don't know. The top three are out in front."

Calloway, who played his high school football at Washington's Seattle Prep, lists nine scholarship offers in total. He was selected to play in this year's Semper-Fidelis All-American Bowl.

CORRECTION: The original version of this story listed Calloway's announcement date as Jan. 11. That is incorrect. He will choose a school on Jan. 18.