Lincoln East 2023 athlete Malachi Coleman has had a fun last year. He went from an unknown recruit to being the highest-rated player in Nebraska during his junior year. The 4-star prospect (6-5, 180) couldn’t believe at times how much attention he was getting.
“It’s kind of weird to me,” Coleman said. “I never really saw myself being a priority to any school, so I am still getting used to it. I got coaches showing up to school asking me to come up to visit. They are calling me and that type of stuff. We’ve learned to manage it as we’ve gone. We pick and choose schools that I am interested in. We keep list of what I do and don’t like about schools. Education, the football team and the coaches. We track everything just trying to take it all in. No one’s ever going to have it down perfectly. You kind of want to know what you’re doing.”
Coleman was busy visiting schools during his junior year. He took trips to Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas State and Nebraska. It’s important to him to give schools a fair shot so he wanted to see many schools in person to see what they have to offer. The schools have various opinions about which position would be best for the Lincoln East star.
He was a problem coming off the edge last season which makes him an exciting potential defender. Coleman also scored 10 touchdowns during his junior season at wide receiver. How his frame fills out will likely determine where he plays in college. He doesn’t have a preference either way, but will play whichever position helps him get on the field fastest.
“On offense I like scoring touchdowns,” Coleman said. “On defense this year, they gave me a little bit more freedom to roam around. I love getting sacks and I love tackles for loss. Next year, I’ll move back to outside linebacker. They are giving me more control over the defense. I like that.”
Whichever position Coleman plays in college, he knows that there needs to be a focus on getting bigger and stronger. That’s his main focus for this offseason even as he plays basketball. He was undersized last season, playing at 170 pounds on the edge on defense. Coleman also wants to add pass rush moves to his collection of skills. He knows more double-teams are coming his way.
The Huskers are one of the main schools that he is focusing on during his recruitment. He got a visit from wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph on the first day the dead period was lifted. Joseph had a clear message for the fast-rising prospect.
“He was straight to the point of nobody is going to have a better relationship with me and nobody is going to be as open and honest as him,” Coleman said. “I loved that. He said that I’m a priority to them. He’s going to make sure everything is fine and I come to Nebraska. He was personable and easy to talk to and made me feel even more wanted at Nebraska, even though we don’t know what I’m going to play yet.”
Joseph could be key in helping land Coleman. His offer list is continuing to grow and the athlete will be back in Lincoln for the Huskers’ junior day event. The criteria for picking a school are pretty clear for Coleman.
“Do they have what I want to major in? That’s going to be pretty much number one because I don’t want to go to school that doesn’t have what I want to do in college,” Coleman said. “Relationships. I’m huge on relationships with coaches. Everybody that knows me knows that if we have a good relationship we’re going to be cool. Relationships are going to be important to me because they’re basically going to be my parents for the next four years. They’re going to be my coaches and are going to be the people that see me every day.”
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
