Will Mallory: Hurricanes' Future 'is Positive', Previews Pitt's Defense
Fifth-year senior Will Mallory has undergone a lot of change in his time with the Miami Hurricanes. The tight end has experienced three different head coaches, as well as a large exodus from his initial recruiting class during his time in Coral Gables.
Out of the 23 prospects that pledged to the Hurricanes in the 2018 recruiting cycle, only Mallory, DJ Ivey, DJ Scaife, Al Blades Jr., John Campbell Jr. and Jordan Miller are still at Miami.
That's the definition of class attrition. Some of it could not be avoided, however.
Running back Cam'Ron Harris and tight end Brevin Jordan declared for the NFL Draft concluding the 2021 season. Defensive end Gregory Rousseau also forewent his eligibility to enter the NFL Draft after the 2020 season.
The remaining 14 players entered the transfer portal with the intent of finishing their collegiate careers elsewhere. With 14 of the 23 total signees having entered the Transfer Portal, that means 60.9% of the recruiting class left for another school.
"I've seen a lot of changes," Mallory said to reporters. "A lot of people have come and gone ... You come in with a class of 23 recruits ... You think you're all gonna be there until the end and every year you see less and less, it's crazy."
Mallory thinks the future of the program is positive under the leadership of first-year head coach Mario Cristobal.
"I'm most excited just about the future of the program. Obviously I wanted to come in here and win championships and do all that big stuff and unfortunately that didn't happen but I feel good and I feel at ease knowing the program is on the right path and it's going in the right direction with the right leader, with the right people," Mallory said.
"I’ve been around a lot of coaches in my lifetime and Coach Cristobal is a class act in everything that he does.”
Mallory's final season at Miami has been his most productive. He has caught a career-high 33 passes for 435 yards through the first 11 games of his senior campaign.
With 65 more receiving yards, Mallory would be the first Miami tight end to eclipse 500 receiving yards in a season since Jordan did so in 2020.
He will have an opportunity to achieve this milestone in UM's last regular-season game against Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Panthers' defense enters this contest ranked 16th nationally in yards allowed per game.
"It’s gonna be a tough, physical game," Mallory said. "It’s a big challenge for us."
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Luke Chaney is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated-FanNation's AllHurricanes.com, covering recruiting and Miami Athletics. You can also find Luke on WVUM 90.5 FM as a play-by-play broadcaster. He is also the Sports Editor for The Miami Hurricane. Follow Luke on Twitter @luke_chaney4.