"I've never got that one before!"
Smiling on the track at Mission Viejo High School ahead of the Under Armour All-American Camp Sunday, Malachi Nelson was surprised when asked to detail the parts of his game that college coaches say needs improvement. He later said he tries to improve on his overall game as an elite quarterback talent.
"That's a good question. I think you have to ask them."
Nelson is already tabbed among the elite quarterback recruits in the class of 2023, wrapping up his junior year in the next few months before moving on to his final prep run at Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School. Once committed to Oklahoma, Nelson followed Lincoln Riley in switching his allegiances to USC as the program's centerpiece for the upcoming recruiting class.
At 6'4", 185 pounds or so, the junior already has near 30 starts under his belt to go along with considerable production at Los Alamitos, particularly since the 2020 season. In the last 17 games, his junior season combined with the condensed spring season due to the pandemic, Nelson has thrown for 62 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while completing 255 of 390 passes (65%) for 4,203 yards. More importantly, he led the Griffins to a 15-2 record in that span.
Nelson at the Under Armour Next Camp
Matt Solorio
Nelson with Matt Leinart's Heisman Trophy
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Nelson at USC
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Fan Nation's Matt Solorio saw the slender passer in person over the weekend, where the rising-senior validates plenty we see on tape.
"Nelson looked every bit the part when you think of a 'top prospect at his position,'" Solorio said. "Despite the fact that he was sharing reps with 20-plus quarterbacks during the camp, he was locked in on every rep and delivered ideal passes on short, intermediate, as well as deep routes. Since the last time we saw Nelson, in this setting at the Elite 11 regional event in summer 2021, his arm strength has grown, which came to fruition on throws to deep routes into the wind.
"While other quarterbacks were trying to get the ball to their target, Nelson’s ball placement took into account where the defender was on every rep."
As far as projecting towards the modern demands of the position, Nelson's live arm and plus mobility enables him to operate spread offenses with efficiency. It also means he can distribute the football inside and out of the pocket without much variance.
"Off-platform throws were another standout feature of the body of work he put together this past Sunday," Solorio said. "He can contort and need not reset his feet to deliver an accurate ball along the sideline. And while mobility is becoming increasingly important for most offensive schemes, Nelson indeed seems uniquely prepared for a Caleb Williams type offense, where the pocket is always moving and off schedule play making separates the good from the great."
Nelson's recruitment may be in the books, but the conversation around where he belongs among the nation's top quarterbacks is only just beginning. Consensus top passer Arch Manning and the future Trojan have near identical total numbers in playing the majority of their team's snaps since their freshman season. Manning, however, has 164 more career pass attempts than Nelson, according to MaxPreps.
