'14 TN WR Josh Malone (UT commit 12/4/13)

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#9,229
#9,229
The nearly two-year long recruitment of Gallatin (Tenn.) wide receiver Josh Malone will end just after noon ET Wednesday when the nation's No. 20 overall prospect announces his commitment live on Rivals.com and NBC Sports Network's SportsDash with Yahoo Sports. The 6-foot-3, 193-pound Malone is down to a final three of Tennessee, Georgia and Clemson.

The long, winding road of Malone's recruitment actually started following his sophomore year when offers flooded in from the likes of Tennessee, Michigan and Ohio State. After a standout performance at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge in Desoto, Texas, last year, the offers kept coming, with Malone compiling verbal offers from more than 40 programs.

THE MALONE FILE

Josh Malone
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 195
School: Gallatin (Tenn.) Station Camp
HIGHLIGHT REELS
Rivals100: The new Five-Stars
Recruit of the Week (9/22/13)
Senior season highlights
Rivals Camp Series analysis
Army Junior Combine analysis
He cut his list down prior to the season and ended up with a final five of Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State and Ohio State. The Buckeyes, once the favorite early in 2013, faded into the background as the spring and summer wore on; despite receiving an official visit, they were never really a contender.
As far as his leader, things changed several times in the fall. An opening week visit to Clemson opened his eyes to what the Tigers had to offer, family ties to Georgia gave the Dawgs a fighting chance, and the chance to play close to home and be a "Vol for life" appealed to Malone and his family.

Following an official visit Florida State on Nov. 1, the 'Noles looked to be in prime position to land Malone. He openly said that Florida State was the school where he wanted to play, and finally his level of interest in the Seminoles and the school's interest level in him matched up.

But the further he got away from the visit, the more the Seminoles lost their position in the lead. Shortly after the NCAA tweaked its rules allowing early enrollees like Malone to sign financial aid agreements, Tennessee jumped to have Malone sign on the dotted line. This gave Tennessee unlimited contact and a leg up, especially considering that many of the Vols coaches live within a three-hour drive of Malone.

He went on to sign papers with four schools: Tennessee, Georgia, Clemson and Florida State, becoming the first player to sign the agreement with multiple schools. The groundbreaking move also led to Georgia coach Mark Richt publicly talking about a recruit who wasn't committed to the school, something that was made permissible when Malone signed the agreement.

"I think the guy's a dynamic player. I really do," Richt said. "I think he's a guy who could come in as a freshman and make a difference, especially if he comes in as a mid-year, which I think is his plan for wherever he goes. I think the guy -- with the knowledge he would gain in the spring and the summer, to have a guy like Chris Conley to mentor him -- he could take advantage of his skill set, which I think is outstanding. He's got great speed, great height, goes to the ball well. He's a very sharp kid with a great family. We'd love to have him."

Over the past week Malone has hosted in-home visits from Georgia, Tennessee and Clemson. The Tennessee coaches even used a police escort to arrive at his house on Friday, a gesture that caught Malone's attention.

Now the question is whether or not Malone will spurn the in-state Vols and their fans for Georgia or the chance to replace Sammy Watkins and play with close friend and fellow five-star recruit Deshaun Watson at Clemson.

The Tigers got the last official visit when Malone was on campus for the Citadel game on Nov. 23 and also the last in-home visit on Monday night. After his official, Malone said he wasn't ready to decide, but will be ready to put on the hat of his new school on Wednesday

"I have no idea where I'm going yet," Malone said on Nov 27. "Honestly, I'm going to be surprised myself to see what happens."

- See more at: VolQuest.com - Malone to announce choice live on Rivals
 
#9,230
#9,230
Ron Swanson said:
"All the attention of Vol Nation is focussed on Gallatin for the next 12 hours or so as 5-star, instate wide receiver Josh Malone is set to announce his decision that has come down to Clemson and Tennessee.

So where do things stand? We continue to believe Tennessee has the momentum heading into the final hours before Malone makes his decision and has had it since the Vols in-home visit with Malone last Friday. While we believe Tennessee has the momentum Malone has not indicated what his final decision will be and that's always something to consider leading up to an announcement.

Obviously, if Malone were to choose the Vols over Clemson on Wednesday, it locks up the top two players in the state, along with 5-star running back Jalen Hurd, and is another sign that Butch Jones has done a tremendous job in the Midstate area, not to mention the impact Malone would make on the field next year for the Vols if he were to choose them."

- Fortenberry
Click to expand...
After watching his highlights, it strikes me that Malone and Hurd are just on a whole 'nother level, and both players (especially since both are EE's) have the ability to impact the team to the extent that the turn around, next season, could indeed be as dramatic as Mizzou and Auburn's.

I've been a bit harsh on Bajakian, but given an additional year to implement his full playbook/system, and with elite players at all the skill positions, this could be a wicked good offense next year.
 
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#9,233
#9,233
VOLorNuttin said:
After watching his highlights, it strikes me that Malone and Hurd are just on another level, and both players (especially since both are EE's) have the ability to impact the team to the extent that the turn around, next season, could be as dramatic as Mizzou and Auburn's.

I've been a bit harsh on Bajakian, but given an additional year to implement his full playbook/system, and with elite players at all the skill positions, this could be a wicked good offense next year.
Click to expand...

Safer to just tamper expectations
 
#9,235
#9,235
Ron Swanson said:
Time for some sleep. Need my beauty rest for a day full of booms. Tomorrow is going to be fun. :)
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ronpuppy.gif
 
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#9,239
#9,239
If he commits to us can someone post the gif of the girl from the Jack Jones thread? You know the one I'm talking about.
 
#9,248
#9,248
Freak, may we please have a 15-minute anything goes gif period after Malone commits tomorrow?
 
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