Making the Case: Four-star DT Tywone Malone
Many of the top 2021 prospects have been committed for some time, but there are some high-profile prospects still out there that have decisions to make. Tywone Malone is one of those.
Today, experts from the Rivals.com network examine where the Rivals100 defensive tackle might end up playing his college football. The candidates are Florida State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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THE SITUATION
Malone has been very quiet about the inner workings of his recruitment and his process has an added wrinkle because he hopes to play baseball at the next level, too. He doesn't have a decision date at this time and hopes to be able to do a few more visits before announcing his commitment.
Malone doesn't claim a favorite, so his final six teams are still jockeying for position. We asked our team experts to state the case for the program that they cover and let National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell issue a verdict.
FLORIDA STATE
"The big news was the elimination of Ohio State, so that's a positive for FSU. Another positive would be the job that FSU DT coach Odell Haggins does with tackles and history of producing and his development. It's been a rough start to the season on the field so far, but Haggins skills as a DT coach is a major attraction. As is the tradition and history in baseball, which is a big part of the Malone recruitment. FSU also does quite well with dual-sport players.
"Those are some things FSU can utilize in their pursuit. I'm not sure there's a clear cut favorite in this one yet. Certainly if FSU improves on the field that increases their chances as I already get the feeling that from a relationship standpoint the Noles have done a great job with Malone and his family. Will it be enough to pull it off? Not sure yet. But they have positioned themselves to have a shot. Not to mention the DT position is a major need for FSU in the 2021 class. So this is an important target to say the least." - Michael Langston, Warchant.com
OLE MISS
"Knowing what I know about Malone's intentions to play both sports at the next level, I'd give Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin more than a puncher's chance to land him. The Rebels have a legitimate national brand in baseball and head coach Mike Bianco has been a fantastic closer when it comes to recruiting. He also has the luxury of pointing at Jerrion Ealy and John Rhys Plumlee as two dual-sport athletes who play for him in the spring and Kiffin in the fall.
"On top of all that, New Jersey native Chris Partridge is Malone's primary recruiter. The Rebels' co-defensive coordinator would certainly like to add the big man from Bergen Catholic to Ole Miss' 2021 class as the cornerstone to their efforts to rebuild the defense in Oxford. Partridge is extremely well-connected in the Garden State from his time spent there as head coach at Paramus Catholic and he and Kiffin have essentially made Tywone their No. 1 overall target." - Zach Berry, RebelGrove.com
RUTGERS
"Rutgers football has put in a ton of work for New Jersey’s top prospect in the 2021 class. They were the first program to offer him back in May 2019, they have his former high school head coach in Nunzio Campanile on staff and Greg Schiano and crew have been showing him a ton of interest ever since they came in back in December. The Scarlet Knights were able to get him on campus back in late January for a visit before the dead period took effect and with COVID-19 shutting down all recruiting visits.
"It is also very well known that Malone wants to play both baseball and football at the next level and new Rutgers baseball coach Steve Owens does boast one of the top-20 winning percentages amongst active D1 baseball coaches.
"At the moment, the feeling is that it will be tough to keep Malone away from the southern baseball powerhouses, but it does seem like Rutgers has a puncher’s chance." - Richie Schnyderite, TheKnightReport.net
TENNESSEE
"Tywone has played things close to the vest his entire recruitment. Tennessee has done a really nice job in recruiting him because they recruited him from multiple areas. Joe Osovet is his area recruiter and those two have a strong bond. He really likes Jeremy Pruitt and then there is the baseball coach Tony Vitello. The trio were on a Zoom call recently, and Malone told me that he really feels like Tennessee wants to give him a legitimate chance to play both sports in college.
"Outside of Rutgers, who as the home-state school has that local tie, I feel like Tennessee has the best shot to land him." - Austin Price, Volquest.com
TEXAS A&M
"One advantage that the Aggies have when it comes to recruiting Malone is the man who handles the region: DT coach Elijah Robinson. Robinson is more than just a potential future position coach; he's got a knack for recruiting the Northeast. Last year, he snagged four-star Fadil Diggs and Isaiah Raikes; this year, he's landed commitments from Brooklyn's Jahzion Harris and Philadelphia's Tyreek Chappell.
"He's been recruiting Malone for over a year and it's hard to beat Robinson when he has that much time to work. Add in the fact that coach Rob Childress is on board with Malone playing baseball at A&M and the Aggies look like they've got a legitimate shot in this one." - Mark Passwaters, AggieYell.com
USC
"Like with many top national recruits on the other side of the country with whom USC had some early momentum, largely thanks to new DL coach Vic So'oto (formerly of UVA), the continued recruiting dead period was a major obstacle for the Trojans in building more traction with Malone. Malone and So’oto have a strong relationship and that’s what has kept the Trojans in the mix.
"The USC baseball staff is also making a strong push of its own. Both USC programs would love to have him and remain hopeful, as defensive line remains the priority area of focus in filling out the rest of this 2021 class, but with no visit to campus the Trojans can’t be viewed as a favorite here." - Ryan Young, TrojanSports.com
THE VERDICT
“It’s still early for Malone and I was surprised Ohio State didn’t make the cut and it’s probably because of baseball. I’m going to guess Tennessee right now, but he’s keeping things very quiet. I think the Vols are close enough to home for him and they offer him a chance to excel in both football and baseball.” - National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell