Scouting UK O-Line Target Malachi Wood
Madison Central's Malachi Wood took on a Lexington Christian defender in the season opener for both teams on Friday night in Richmond.. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
One of the top prospects in the Bluegrass State for the Class of 2023 is Madison Central offensive tackle Malachi Wood, who earned a scholarship offer from Kentucky this summer after camping with the Wildcats. The 6-foot-8, 290-pound junior opened his season on Friday night, and Cats Illustrated was on hand to get a look at the promising big man.
WHAT WE LIKED:
Wood's tremendous size immediately jumps out at you when you see him take the field with his teammates. There's no guessing which player he is. No roster or program is needed. Blessed with a great frame with room to add a lot of muscle and additional good weight in a college strength and conditioning program, Wood has the look of a modern prototype left tackle. He's lean and athletic with the long arms that scouts love in a future blindside pass protector. He also plays really hard and doesn't take plays off. This has always been a big litmus test for me over the years in scouting high-profile players in the Bluegrass State. Many get by on their raw talent and do just enough to get by against smaller opponents. I didn't see that from Wood. He played hard from first snap to last, and despite the Indians falling 21-12 to last year's Class 2A state runner-up, he helped spring a 78-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave Madison Central a chance to pull the upset. He also came off as a good teammate, a positive influence on the field and the sideline, and his coaches rave about his character.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT:
Despite the impressive frame, Wood is still fairly raw as a football player. That's to be expected as he's just 16 years old. Scary thought: he may still be growing. But it's important to remember he's just now learning the game and the type of fundamentals and technique needed to play his position at a high level. Because of this, some fans may see him play this season and wonder what the fuss is all about. There are times when he comes out of his stance too high and isn't able to get under a smaller defender. That's always a big challenge for a lineman with his kind of height. The weight room can also be a fairly significant challenge when you have arms as long as Wood. It will be interesting to see how his body changes over the next two seasons and into college.
OVERVIEW:
In some ways, I was reminded of seeing an emerging Landon Young at Lafayette for the first time after Mark Stoops & Co. offered him as a sophomore. Both tall. Both long and lean. (Young was probably 30 pounds lighter than Wood the first time I saw him play.) Both with good feet. And they even share the No. 67. You can see a lot of similarities that may have led the UK staff to make an early offer to Wood. Like Young at the same age, this is a classic case of projecting something much bigger than what we see now. The Cats have really excelled in that aspect of recruiting. Young wound up being a U.S. Army All-American, an All-SEC pick, and is now in camp with the New Orleans Saints. Kentucky has developed a reputation as one of the best O-Line programs in the country and has positioned itself to attract some of the best big man prospects in the years ahead. We'll keep a close eye on Wood to see how he measures up to the competition.
Malachi Wood is an impressive physical specimen at almost 6-foot-9 and 290 pounds. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Madison Central junior offensive tackle Malachi Wood. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
