Thursday, June 20, 2013

2013 Player Spotlights: Andre Maloney

Maloney scoring a touchdown
against Hutchinson. KC Star.
Andre Maloney
SM West

Position(s): Cornerback/Wide Receiver
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 185 lbs.
Year: Senior

Stat to Note
As a junior Maloney took home First Team All-Sunflower League honors as a defensive back after recording 42 tackles and four interceptions.  He also combined for over 1,000 all-purpose yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

Scouting Report
Maloney will be one of the most dynamic athletes to set foot on a Sunflower League gridiron this fall.  Last season he proved to be worth his weight in gold for SM West, acting as a catalyst for a mid-season spark that saw the Vikings reel off 11 straight wins including claiming the 6A state title.  The momentum of the title game shifted in SM West's favor once they began employing Maloney out of the Wildcat formation -- a strategy that had worked exceptionally well throughout the playoff run.

College coaches took notice of Maloney's tremendous potential, and he claimed offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Tulsa.  Harvard was even in on his recruitment, given his strengths in the academic setting.  On Wednesday evening, Maloney made a verbal commitment to Kansas.  Kansas' defensive coordinator, Dave Campo, who held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys throughout the 1990s, has said Maloney's overall game reminds of him of NFL legend Deion Sanders.  That's an enormous compliment and there's no doubt Maloney is one of the most versatile athletes the league has had in the last decade.

At 6-foot-3, he has a height advantage on nearly every receiver he covers on defense, and when he's on offense, he's taller than just about every defensive back.  This, coupled with 4.5-forty speed, tremendous agility and a subtle physicality, give Maloney an almost unfair advantage most of the time.  SM West will work to use those advantages as much as possible in 2013, as Maloney and Co. work to bring the Vikings a second state title in as many years.

6 comments:

MahValley said...

Cannot believe he deciced on KU over some of the other offers. Uless he is looking at immediate playing time at KU.

MahValley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TheImpaler said...

And who was the first guy to tout Andre as a D1 player here? That's right, me. I knew after his sophomore season he had the goods. I think he's as fundamentally sound a DB as I've seen at the HS level, always in position, never has to interfere to make the play.

I'm also surprised he snapped up the KU offer so fast, maybe he has friends there but his skill set seems to fit much better with Bill Snyder's scheme. I'm afraid with Weiss the only times he'll touch the ball is on INTs which will be a waste... this kid is a lot of fun with the ball in his hands. Plus you'll win a lot more games and get a lot more national attention in Manhattan than you would in Lawrence. Anyway, congrats Andre for proving me right! Now let's go out and defend that trophy!

Eli Underwood said...

Never underestimate Charlie Weis' ability to recruit. He's one of the best recruiters in the nation (look at how Notre Dame did with all the talent he stockpiled during his time there).

The real question is whether he can get things turned around on the field. He's snagged arguably the three best skill position players in the area in Joe Dineen, Andre Maloney and Traevohn Wrench -- and he's making a hard push for last year's Simone Award winner Dalvin Warmack to decommit from K-State and commit to KU.

The talent's going to be there, and it will be exciting seeing the kind of impact guys from the Sunflower League like Dineen and Maloney can make at the collegiate level.

MahValley said...

TI, I am on the same page as you with him fitting better at K-State but I am still of the belief that he will get early playing time at KU.

I am looking forward to this fall and some of the incoming JR's that will need to see playing time for a couple of these programs to have success.

Who's Your Daddy said...

Glad to see Maloney, Dineen and Wrench commit to the Hawks. Why is everyone wondering why? The KU coaching staff is connected like no other when it comes to NFL contacts. Eighteen year old kids are easily influenced when you tell them you can give them the best chance to make the big time. Only time will tell whether Coach Weis and staff can deliver. One thing is for sure, KU is bringing in the talent. Now, translate that into wins. By the way, Bill Snyder is still the best Coach in College Football.