Malachi Coleman might have gone wherever.
The 2-way Lincoln East star held greater than two dozen scholarship affords. Georgia. Oklahoma. USC. Michigan. Ole Miss. Oregon. The checklist continues for the highest prospect out of the Cornhusker state for the 2023 class.
However Coleman — Rivals’ No. 57 nationwide recruit and 247Sports’ No. 67 prospect — is staying residence in Lincoln, he introduced Saturday.
“It’s one thing that I’ve been wanting ahead to for some time; me and my household, we like it,” Coleman mentioned.
Coleman, dressed to the nines with a black and blue sport coat, faked out the sizable crowd at East’s auditorium not as soon as however twice by grabbing the Oregon and Oklahoma hats earlier than he snagged the scarlet Nebraska lid off the desk and loudly declared into the microphone that he’s not leaving.
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Mere moments after saying his dedication, the person who made all of it doable was calling by way of FaceTime: Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph.
“He modified every thing for me,” Coleman mentioned of Joseph. “Six, seven months in the past, I used to be not coming right here, that’s for positive.”
Regardless that Joseph arrived on Nebraska’s campus halfway via Coleman’s recruitment, Coleman realized he might belief Joseph.
Joseph got here to Lincoln East in January to satisfy with Coleman. Coleman had no thought who he was. Ten months later, he’s committing to Nebraska, partly, due to Joseph.
“That relationship I’ve with Mickey and this teaching workers is untouchable,” Coleman mentioned. “No person’s going to have a relationship like we have now.”
He added: “There have been a few contenders, Georgia, Oklahoma and Nebraska, however what it got here right down to is my relationship with Mickey.”
Coleman doesn’t belief many individuals. And rightfully so.
By way of his 17 years, Coleman’s confronted extra hardships than anybody ought to endure. He’s been homeless, abused, uncared for, moved from foster residence to foster residence. In a single non permanent placement specifically, Coleman was thrown via a wall. He and his sister, Nevaeh, have been adopted in November 2015.
“This simply exhibits all the youngsters in foster care that it don’t matter the place you’re at, that is the place you’re going to complete,” Coleman mentioned. “I do know that everyone tells you that, however you’ve bought to do it your self typically.
“You’ve bought to seek out individuals that you may belief, and that’s why I surrounded myself with people who find themselves like that, and individuals who’ve bought my again. That’s why I belief Mickey, too.”
Coleman is aware of Nebraska is in a tumultuous spot proper now.
There are such a lot of unknowns at this stage. With Scott Frost out, Joseph is the interim, however there’s no assure Joseph will probably be named Nebraska’s subsequent head coach, not to mention stay on Nebraska’s workers subsequent 12 months.
“Mickey’s going to be right here,” Coleman mentioned. “I do know that.”
Joseph, based on Coleman, believes too.
The FaceTime message Joseph gave Coleman:
“‘We’re gonna flip this s*** round,’” Coleman recalled. “‘That’s what we’re going to do.’”
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