After getting UofL Football its first win on the field in nearly a year, Scott Satterfield and WR Coach Gunter Brewer got a win off the field. UofL picked up a commitment 3 Star 2020 OH WR Nick Malito.
University of Louisville 2020… pic.twitter.com/9IX82BcpfV
— Nick Malito (@nicholasmalito) September 8, 2019
The 6’2 205 lbs Malito plays for Girard High School in Girard, OH. A former Toledo commit that UofL was able to flip, Malito chose UofL over offers from Toledo, Air Force, Bowling Green, Fordham, Harvard, Yale, Kent State, and Youngstown State. In the 247sports composite rankings, Malito is ranked as the 1057th best player overall in the 2020 class and the 158th best at his position. Gunter Brewer was his primary recruiter.
A receiver with size and speed, Malito was an excellent receiver for his high school team last season. He had 53 receptions for 1313 yards and 15 receiving TDs; averaging 87.5 yards receiving a game and 24.8 yards per catch per MaxPreps. Per Hudl, Malito was clocked at a blazing 4.39 in the 40 yard dash. According to athletic.net, Malito participated in track and field and ran a 10.95 in the 100 meters and had a 21’7 long jump.
At 6’2 205 lbs, Nick Malito is a good size receiver. His speed listed above shows on his highlight film. He is every bit of that blazing fast 4.39. He accelerates quickly at the snap, so quickly that he seems to catch defenses off guard. His strength makes Malito very difficult to jam at the line of scrimmage. His hands are excellent with the ball sticking to them. Malito is very good at tracking the deep ball in flight and making over the shoulder catches. He can go up and get a ball when need be, but he’s usually so wide open that it’s usually unnecessary. Every highlight he runs full speed and it’s almost unbelievable how fast he is moving.
Now that we have given a broad overview of his highlights, let’s delve a little deeper.
Speed
This is arguably Nick Malito’s greatest asset. This guy can absolutely burn a defense. So many of his highlights, he doesn’t even necessarily run a traditional route. He literally just flies right by DBs and is wide open behind them. Even when he does have defenders around him, his speed allows him to outrun tackling angles and just outrun the defense. His acceleration at the snap is elite. He goes 0-full speed in about 2 yards; well, it seems like that at least. His first highlight shows how dangerous his speed can be.
His team is backed up on their own 5 yard line. His team has him run almost a fade and the slot receiver next to him runs an out route. It appears the defense is playing a zone. The CB lined up opposite Malito sucks up on the slot receiver forcing the S to come and cover Malito in his zone. Malito finds an open spot in the zone on the sideline and the QB makes a nice throw. Malito catches it with his hands and then hits the afterburners. The S is actually there and the CB is coming back and they have him for what would normally be a stop. He makes a move to the inside of the field and turns it up. Another defender enters the picture and he outruns his angle, gets to the sideline, and looks like Secretariat at the Belmont as he leaves the defenders in the dust for a 95 yard TD. The word elite gets used a lot now days, but Malito definitely has elite speed.
Hands and Catching
Malito possesses great hands. He does not bobble the ball and if it hits his hands, it stays there. He never allows the ball to get to his body. Imagine the picture perfect catch; hands out in front, thumb and index fingers on each hand aligned, making a nice home for the ball. This is the way that Malito catches the ball. When he catches it over the shoulder, he always has his hands away from the body and uses them to make the catch, rather than trapping the ball against his body. He also has an excellent ability to turn the top of his body while in stride to square his shoulders and hands to make over the shoulder catches. His hands are strong as well, allowing him to hold onto balls even when he is hit as he receives them. Going up and getting a ball is no problem for him and he is not afraid to take a hit to make a catch.
Within the first two minutes of his highlight film, all these qualities are shown. In one highlight, he runs a skinny post for a big TD. On the catch, he is able to turn his head and shoulders back and make the catch easily in stride without slowing down. In another highlight, Malito jumps for a ball and just as he catches it, is leveled by a S. It did not phase him as he held on for a big gainer.
Tracking Ball in Air
Malito is excellent at tracking the ball in the air. He never takes his eye off the ball, even if a defender is bearing down on him. He watches in every catch. There are quite a few over-the-shoulder catches Malito makes and on every one you can see him on the film watching the ball into his hands. His mind never thinks ahead as he focuses on making the catch before running with the ball. This is an excellent trait to have as his speed means he will likely be blowing by CBs and will be making a lot of over-the-shoulder catches for the Cards.
Strength/Size
6’2 205 lbs is a pretty stout human body. Nick Malito is definitely stout and strong. When he catches the ball short, he is a load to bring down. If a defender tries to arm tackle him, he shimmies them off, shakes them off, or simply runs right through it. There are a couple of his long TDs where the DB is able to get a hand on him, but he just shrugs it off and runs into the end zone. Another play has Malito’s team at the opponent’s 22. Malito runs a crossing route and catches the ball at about the 5 yard line. There are four defenders literally trying to drag him down immediately after the catch. Malito drags them into the end zone for 6. There are a couple of plays where the DBs try to jam him up within the legal 5 yards. It does not effect Malito one bit. He just runs full speed, gets open, and makes the catch. His combination of strength, size, and speed make him a dangerous offensive weapon.
I know a lot of Card fans will look at his star rating or his offer sheet and not be satisfied, but check out his highlight film. Nick Malito is very underrated in my humble opinion. You don’t often see a guy his size that is as strong as he is and as fast as he is. Malito is a serious threat to go to the house on every play. He either flies right by defenders or drags them to where he wants to go. He is absolutely surehanded and is not afraid to go over the middle for catches. Louisville needed a big WR in this class as they currently have two slot receivers commited in Dexter Rentz and Braden Smith. They needed a big WR and they got one in the person of Nick Malito. With this coaching staff’s ability to really coach up players and make them better, Nick Malito could become a very valuable weapon for Scott Satterfield.
With Nick Malito’s commitment, UofL’s class is now ranked 31st nationally per 247sports. They rank 6th in the ACC, up from 14th last recruiting cycle.
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