In this installment of the Recruit Notebook, we meet a talented player who eschewed his family legacy to blaze his own trail at The U: TE Will Mallory.

Bio

After losing David Njoku to the NFL, and with Christopher Herndon IV a senior in 2016, and with freshman Jovani Haskins transferring out of the program, the Miami Hurricanes needed multiple talented players at the Tight End position in the 2018 recruiting class.

Throughout the end of 2016 and into 2017, Jacksonville (FL) Providence TE Will Mallory emerged as one of the top targets for Miami at that position. A tall, thin player who was used mainly as a receiver in HS, Mallory showed great skill on the field for his HS team, and at camps and 7v7 events in the offseason.

Shortly after being selected to participate in Nike’s The Opening, Mallory committed to Miami on April 21st, 2017. He traveled to Oregon in the summer of 2017 to play on team Savage Pro with all kinds of Miami commits, including QB Jarren Williams (he was committed to Kentucky at the time, but later flipped to Miami), RB Lorenzo Lingard, WR Mark Pope, fellow TE Brevin Jordan, and quite a few others.

Mallory was thought to be a Michigan lock for most of the recruiting cycle, and for good reason. Both his father and uncle played for the Wolverines, so it stood to reason that the younger Mallory would follow in their footsteps and don the Maize and Blue in college. However, another phenomenal recruiting job my TE coach Todd Hartley and Mallory’s love of Miami got the talented TE to leave his family’s legacy in the past and commit to Miami.

Mallory’s path to Miami wasn’t all sunshine and palm trees, however. He missed much of his senior year with an injury early in the season. Mallory did come back for the end of the season, and showed then why he’s a highly regarded recruit.

Recruiting Ranking

On the 247sports composite rankings, Mallory is a 4-star prospect, the #9 TE in this class, #39 in the State of Florida, and #216 recruit overall.

Mallory committed to Miami over Michigan — where his uncle and father both played — Alabama, Florida State, and Ohio State from a list of 27 other scholarship offers from around the country.

Mallory as a Player

Mallory has great height at 6’5”. He’s a bit thin at only 210-215lbs, and that will be an area that he’ll need to address in college. Physical development/weight and strength gain is going to be essential for Mallory moving forward, but I’m confident that Gus Felder and the S&C staff will get the job done.

Mallory was used as a Wide Receiver in High School, operating often in the slot or on the outside. He could be used in that way at Miami, but with the Canes’ talent at Receiver, Mallory will find an easier path to the field in the slot (as David Njoku and Christopher Herndon IV were used) or as a traditional tight end.

Mallory is a matchup problem for defenses, as his height allows him to jump over smaller defenders to make acrobatic catches, and his speed allows him to run away from bigger players. That will come in handy along with fellow TE signees Brevin Jordan, as the pair can be used in a multitude of ways on the field, even at the same time.

Obviously, transitioning inside as a traditional Tight End means that Malloey will have to block more. This is 100% an area for growth, and his physical development will be key to that as well, as he’ll see much bigger defenders playing at Miami than he ever did playing at Jacksonville (FL) Providence HS.

Strengths

• Height
• Speed
• Pass Catching

Weaknesses

• Physical development/strength
• Interior route running
• Blocking

2018 outlook

Miami needs depth and talent at Tight End after losing David Njoku to the NFL in 2016, and Christopher Herndon IV to graduation in 2017. Add in the departure of Jovani Haskins, and yeah, players are needed.

Mallory and fellow TE signee Brevin Jordan have the talent to be impact players early and often for Miami. Each brings different skills and traits to the field, but both should play right away.

Chances for a redshirt: 4/10

There are 2 reasons why I have Mallory’s RS potential so high: 1. he won’t be an early enrollee (his school doesn’t allow for it), and 2. he needs to add weight and strength before he’s a viable in-line TE. Even with those things being true, I think Mallory is better than any returning player at the TE position, and that will enable him to find the field as a freshman.

That’s it for this installment of the Recruit Notebook.

Go Canes