Maloney has plenty of options

It's easy to dismiss an offer from Tulsa when you're [db]Andre Maloney[/db]. Tulsa fans certainly don't want to hear it, but that doesn't make it any less true.

Maloney, a three-star cornerback, carries offers from Kansas State, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma State. So when the Golden Hurricane made things official on Tuesday night, shrugging the ordeal off would have been simple.

Maloney didn't do that, though. Instead, he listened and liked what he heard. This isn't courtesy consideration, either. Tulsa is offering something the bigger programs aren't: the chance to play wide receiver and line up as a wildcat quarterback.

Tulsa or not, when those topics came up, the Overland Park (Kan.) Shawnee Mission West prospect was completely intrigued.

"I like that,' Maloney said. "I like that a lot. They are kind of the first one to actually talk about it. Some schools have hinted at it on the side of being a corner, but they actually want me to play in the wildcat and play wide receiver. I like having the ball in my hands."

That's not to say things are said and done by any stretch. Nebraska is still Nebraska. Kansas State is still Kansas State. Oklahoma State is still Oklahoma State, and Tulsa is still, well, Tulsa. BCS programs continue to recruit Maloney with intensity and the parade of college coaches entering his high school doesn't seem to be slowing.

"Kansas State stopped by last week," Maloney said. "Northwestern was in on Thursday. Minnesota is coming next week. KU stopped by two weeks ago. Missouri was here last Friday. It's been pretty much all of them."

As is the case with many recruits in mid April, Maloney declines to name frontrunners. He may be somewhat close to doing so, though. Once school lets out for the summer, the sought-after cornerback will begin to travel. And once he sees more programs up close, his focus will narrow with haste.

Maloney has already visited Kansas and Missouri. Next on the docket? A trip to see the defending Big 12 champions.

"When I get out of school, I'm going to start going to camps and visiting and getting the vibe of the cities and seeing how the facilities are," he said. "I plan on visiting K-State for sure. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do that one as soon as I get out of school."

Things could start moving quickly from there. Maloney will take other, undetermined visits after he finishes up at K-State, and a commitment could come shortly after he concludes his rounds.

"I'm going to commit before senior year," Maloney said. "I want to be able to focus on football and little bit less on my recruiting."