As one of the commanders of West Boca’s (Fla.) rise from afterthought to state title winner, running back Javian Mallory has had quite a prolific high school career. After signing with Miami on Wednesday, he’s hoping to continue his winning ways at the collegiate level.
Mallory, at a bruising 6-foot-0 (and likely decently more than his listed weight of 200 pounds), Mallory fits the mold of a classic Mario Cristobal running back. He’s fearless, physical and more than willing to run between the tackles and pick up gritty yards.
While not an electric open-field athlete, Mallory has solid breakaway speed and hits blocking lanes quickly. He feels that Miami is the perfect place to elevate his skill set so that he can eventually play professionally.
“The relationship I’ve built with Miami is like no other program,” Mallory told CaneSport in November. “And the situation I feel like I’m going to walk into as a true freshman, Miami plays true freshmen. I feel like Miami is the school I’m going to go to and do what I have to do to get to the next level.”
North Carolina tried making a strong push for Mallory in the month leading up to Signing Day, but the longtime Hurricanes commit was not persuaded by the Tar Heels’ pitch.
“When I committed I told the staff I was 100% committed,” Mallory said. “That’s what it is. I’m home. I’m not going anywhere.”
His head coach at West Boca, Dylan Potts, spoke glowingly of Mallory’s perception of the Hurricanes.
“Javian’s a family guy. He’s always said that from day one, he always says ‘Miami feels like West Boca.’ And I know how he feels about here,” Potts told CaneSport in August. “It’s very rare you see a kid come into high school and go to high school for all four years. He’s been here from my first year and his first year together. We’ve always talked about doing this, even when he came in, it was like, ‘Hey, let’s build this into one of the best programs in the country.’ And I think we’re right at the doorstep of doing that.”
Potts also thinks that Mallory understands the game really well. He describes him as a player that “really understands football.”
“I love that kid. He’s a pro,” Potts said. “When you talk to him, you’re just blown away with how well he speaks and everything like that. At the end of the third quarter right there, going into the fourth, I’m able to pull him to the side, and we’re able to just have professional conversations where like, ‘Hey, what do you like? What do you want to get going?’ He’s just one of those kids where the moments never too big for him, and he really understands football, and he’s not afraid to put the team on his back and go.”
Mallory has battled injuries throughout the year but is still shaping up to have a monstrous senior season. He’s ran for 1,114 yards and 14 touchdowns on 117 carries, adding 147 yards and four touchdowns on 10 receptions.
CaneSport’s Take
Given Miami’s multi-year-long interest in Mallory, we got the chance to watch him play frequently throughout his time at West Boca. He was constantly one of the most productive offensive players in the region, forcing defenses to key in on stopping the run whenever they played the Bulls. Mallory projects as an early-down, short-yardage back at the collegiate level.