Isaac Edelman’s prediction: West Boca four-star running back Javian Mallory (2026) is going to commit to the University of Michigan. Here’s why:
Tony Alford.
Yep, it’s that simple. Michigan running back coach Tony Alford is going to be the reason Javian Mallory decides to play at the next level in Ann Arbor.
The bond between Mallory and Alford is super strong, and it’s going to be hard for any other school to beat out Michigan when it comes to chasing after Mallory.
“Obviously Coach Alford is my guy for real,” Mallory said. “It’s definitely one of the better relationships I have with any of the coaches. He is a great coach. He produces running backs year in and year out. Coach Alford is one of the best to do it.”
Alford’s special bond with Mallory stems from family ties. Alford coached Ritch Alexis, Mallory’s uncle and a former running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, at the University of Washington in 2001.
“If Javian and his family decides Michigan is the place for him he will be in great hands,” Alexis said. “Coach Alford’s resume speaks for itself. He is a teacher, a developer and a mentor. He is real as it gets in the coaching profession. He definitely will push Javian to be great in every aspect on the field and in life.”
Alexis is now coaching his nephew as a running back coach at West Boca.
Besides the bond between Alford and Mallory, Ann Arbor would be a special landing spot. The Wolverines have won 12 national championships, including one this past season (2023-2024). New head coach Sherrone Moore, who replaced Jim Harbaugh, is also recruiting pretty well thus far as Michigan got a 2026 commitment from four-star quarterback Brady Hart. Mallory reacted to this news on Twitter by putting the eyeball emoji.
“They have a rich history of winning,” Mallory said while speaking highly of the program. “Last year they were the national champs so they are obviously doing something right up there. The way they work… when I went up there a couple weeks ago, I saw how their work ethic was different than the rest of the teams. They had that fut but hard-working feel to them. Everyone has the same goal in mind.”
Funny enough, Alford was Ohio State’s running back coach last year. Had he stayed with the Buckeyes, Ohio State would be a front runner for Mallory. But believe it or not, they still are. Ohio State’s new running back coach is former Oregon running back coach, Carlos Locklyn. The crazy thing: Locklyn gave Mallory his first-ever college offer when he was at Oregon.
Mallory is entering his junior season at West Boca High School. The 5-11 running back had a school-record 1,853 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore, winning the Palm Beach County High School Player of the Year Award at the Lou Groza Awards. This is a prestigious award that has been won by Lamar Jackson, Jordan Travis, Jacoby Brissett, Anquan Boldin, and others. Mallory also recorded a school-record 345 yards (yes, you read that correctly) in a game against Blanche Ely.
PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR IN PALM BEACH COUNTY?!
Javian Mallory is one of the nation’s best running backs and he scored three touchdowns with 315+ yards tonight against Blanche Ely (a top defense).
This is a MUST WATCH!@mallory_javian3 @ESPNTop63 @EraPrep @larryblustein pic.twitter.com/mi7pWwrGeY
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) October 27, 2023
Believe it or not, some of the success Mallory had during his sophomore year has to be accredited to Coach Alford. Yes, Mallory has already seen first-hand the impact that Coach Alford can have on a running back.
“I went up to Ohio State my freshman year (before Coach Alford was coaching at Michigan). It was awesome being able to be coached by him and listen to what he was telling me… the attention he was giving me. I had to run with my pad a little bit lower… the vision… it definitely helped me in my sophomore season.”
Mallory’s teammate, defensive back Jaydin Broadnax (2026), also has an offer from Michigan. Maybe it’ll be a package deal heading to Michigan.
“Me and Jaydin have been visiting colleges together for a little bit now. It has definitely been a conversation that we spoke about – potentially playing on the same team un college. It’s something that can potentially happen. We both have offers from top schools in the country.”
We shall see what happens over the next few weeks or months. But for now, Michigan is at the forefront for getting Javian Mallory to commit.
https://twitter.com/IsaacEdelman/status/1793015069908906106
