One of the University of Hawai'i football team's top recruits — cornerback Lucious Henderson of McCollum High School in Austin, Texas — is petitioning the NCAA for a special waiver that will allow him to join the Warriors this season.

Henderson said he fell just shy of the minimum SAT score needed to be eligible to play as a Division I-A freshman this year. To determine eligibility, the NCAA uses a sliding scale balancing grade-point average in core classes with standardized test scores.

Henderson is asking the NCAA to credit an honors accounting class as a core subject. Henderson said he received high marks in that class. If the course is accepted, his GPA would go up and his SAT minimum would go down, allowing him to play this year. He said a McCollum counselor will provide an affidavit claiming he was told the class could count as a core subject.

"I have a good case," Henderson said. "I've been told I have a good chance."

If his petition is denied, Henderson will attend Navarro (junior) College in Texas.

Henderson, who is 5 feet 11 and 170 pounds, ran 200 meters in 21.33 seconds in a Texas state meet this year. He ran 40 yards in 4.46 seconds at the Baylor Camp.

Meanwhile, linebacker Mark Oliver of Mount Carmel High in Chicago will take an unofficial recruiting visit to Hawai'i next month. He will travel with his parents as part of a family vacation, and is planning to attend the start of the Warriors' training camp in August.

Oliver, who is 6 feet 1 and 230 pounds, can run 40 yards in 4.6 seconds. His vertical jump is 30 inches.

He has received offers from Kansas State, Northern Illinois, Colorado State, Akron, Central Michigan and UH. He expects to make a decision before the start of his senior year in late August.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.