Cunninghams reputation precedes him

And so it begins with an offer from Baylor.

The buzz surrounding Randall Cunningham is big. It seems bigger when you consider he only played in mop-up duty as a junior at Las Vegas-based powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School, where he was stuck behind Rivals100 quarterback Anu Solomon on the depth chart.

Cunningham is unproven, but that hasn't silenced the conversation. His bloodline and Pro Bowl father certain play a role in the growing lore, but the son of the famous Eagles signal-caller seems on the verge of blazing his own trail.

When Cunningham broke the national high-jump record with a jump of 7 feet, 2 inches at this summer's Junior Olympics, the anticipation grew. The same goes for when chatter about his arm strength reached the masses. When his 4.5 40-yard dash time crushed every wide receiver on his high school roster, word spread.

The dam on scholarship offers may have been sealed for a time, mostly because of limited in-game action. But now, months before he'll take his first snap as Gorman's starter, that dam is beginning to leak.

Somehow, extending an early verbal offer doesn't seem like a risk. The Bears are simply a team in front of the curve.

"Baylor offered me a scholarship a few weeks ago, and I like Baylor from what I know," Cunningham said. "They've been keeping in contact with me. I know they have great academics and athletic programs. I know they have a great coach. I know they're doing big things."

Other teams are sniffing around, too. And while there isn't a rush to bombard Cunningham with official offers just yet, you can feel the surge looming.

"Colorado State is talking to me," Cunningham said. "UCLA is talking to me. Oregon, Michigan, California … UCLA is just talking track right now, I think. It's a bunch of schools sending me stuff."

Cunningham plans to visit Baylor "sometime in March" and intends to make appearances at additional team camps that have yet to be determined. All of that depends on his track schedule, though. After all, he's not too shabby at that stuff, either.

"I had a pretty good track season, yeah." Cunningham said attempting to understate his accomplishments. "The national record and that …"

Baylor's coaching staff has already given the quarterback the ok to compete in both track and football should he land in Waco, and that will be a trend. Cunningham, who competes in both the long jump and high jump, would like to be a two-sport star at the school of his choice. The ability to do so will factor heavily into his decision.