Gulliver Prep athlete ready to break out

Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep has a number of highly touted major college prospects year in and year out and the 2009 class is no different. Several players have already garnered multiple scholarship offers with Spring Practice not yet in the books. One Gulliver Prep standout still waiting on his first is a player without prototypical size but one with all of the ability you could want.

Darian Mallory only stands at around 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds but his speed and athleticism make up for anything he lacks on the measuring stick and he has been invaluable to his Gulliver Prep program. Mallory proves his worth by lining up all over the field.

"I'm a running back but I play anything on the field though," Mallory said. "I also play slot receiver and returner. I have a lot of heart. I have speed and a lot of heart."

Mallory doesn't just play on special teams, he dominates.

"I ran four back last year and four back the year before that," he said. "I ran back two punts and two kickoffs. They all went the distance over 90 yards. I love the ball. When I get the ball in my hands it's like nobody can stop me."

At running back, Mallory was no slouch either, doing a lot of damage in an injury shortened season. He also has high expectations for 2008.

"I had 802 yards on like 72 carries and 12 touchdowns," he said. "I want to win state this year and I also want to rush for over 2,000 yards."

Asked if he will get enough carries to reach the 2,000-yard mark, Mallory doesn't seem too worried.

"I don't need a lot of carries," he said simply.

Mallory, who has been clocked in the sub-4.4 range in the 40, has yet to receive his first scholarship offer is hearing from schools such as UCF, Rutgers, Indiana and Syracuse but he is open to just about any program.

"I really could play anywhere," he said. "I'll be looking at the area, what kind of area it is, how the coach is, how the team is and what kind of family they have, the football fields and how the football environment is up there."

As the recruiting process heats up for Mallory, he will have a very valuable resource in an athlete that has become a very close friend over the years and someone who certainly has been through what Mallory will soon be dealing with.

"I love Clinton Portis," he said. "I know him and I talk to him mostly every day. I watched him in high school and all the way up through the pros. I knew him since he was in high school so when I was in Gainesville, I used to always work out with him at his high school. I just played with him in a flag football tournament."

The Washington Redskins running back and Florida native has become a type of big brother to Mallory and the 2009 prospect is taking in his words of wisdom.

"He always tells me to have heart and that's what it takes to play football it to have a lot of heart."

Mallory may not have a lot of size but he is out to show he has what is more important than that.