Word on Whiley is spreading

Sometimes, recruiting isn't all that complicated.

Take Tyler Whiley, for example. His recent timeline is maddeningly simple. Last weekend, he showed up in Nevada for an NLA 7-on-7 event. There, he made his mark by dominating defensive backs for two straight days. That landed him on every top performers list in existence. After that, his Facebook inbox exploded.

And that's the long and short of how the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral athlete became one of the hottest prospects in the state overnight.

"A lot of coaches hit me up to tell me they heard how I played out there," Whiley said on Thursday. "It's just been stuff like that. No new offers yet. Oklahoma was the last one."

New offers might be inching in on the horizon, though. According to Whiley, who has been written about more in the last week than he had in the five months prior, interest from California, Oregon and Nebraska has kicked up since his breakout moment in Las Vegas. All three schools were lightly recruiting him beforehand. But, now, things suddenly seem more serious.

Whiley doesn't know the ins and outs of the Ducks, Huskers or Golden Bears just yet. And that's fine. It's early. He intends to learn, though.

"I just know they're all big programs," he said. "They're top teams every year. That's all I know."

"No favorites" has been Whiley's recruiting mantra to this point, and he sticks to it even now. He also says he's made no plans for unofficial visits, as he's still trying to "figure that stuff out." A possible timetable for a commitment, while still rough, is something he doesn't mind addressing.

"I kind of want to see how the season goes," Whiley said. "I don't necessarily want to wait until after the season. I just want to get through the summer and see what position I do better at. That will help me weed out and decide what school I want to go to."

Whiley, who plays both defensive back and wide receiver at Chaparral, is being recruited at both positions. Oklahoma is courting the rising junior as a defensive player, while other schools see him as a wide receiver. Then, there's Washington, which tells Whiley he's the football version of a utility guy.

"I was talking to one of their coaches yesterday, and he told me I could play anything from two receiver spots to running back," Whiley said.

Whiley has no preference when it comes to his position at the next level and declines to state which spot makes him feel most comfortable.

"I think I'm pretty balanced on both sides of the ball to be honest," he said.

As a junior at Chaparral, Whiley caught 36 passes for 610 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also made 49 tackles and intercepted a pair of passes, one of which he returned 69 yards.