Will Mallory has proven he can be the first-team tight end for the Miami Hurricanes with junior Brevin Jordan leaving for the NFL Draft.
Junior Will Mallory has been the Miami Hurricanes second-best tight end over the past three seasons. With classmate Brevin Jordan moving on to the NFL, Mallory will be the top TE for Miami with the potential to exceed the numbers that Jordan has had over the past three seasons.
Mallory has made 16 starts over three seasons. Many of those starts were with Miami using Jordan and Mallory in double-TE sets. Jordan has missed three games due to injury in each of the last two seasons. In the six games that Jordan has missed the last two seasons, Mallory has 22 receptions for 393 yards and two touchdowns.
Miami signed athletic four-star TE Elijah Arroyo and three-star Khalil Brantley in the Class of 2021. The Hurricanes return redshirt freshman Larry Hodges and true freshman Dominick Mammarelli at TE in 2021. Mallory has 43 career receptions for 659 yards and seven TDs over his first three college seasons.
Mallory set career highs in 2020 with 22 receptions for 329 yards and four TDs. With Jordan deciding to enter the NFL Draft, Mallory has a chance to put up big numbers in 2021. Hodges and Mammarelli add depth. It’s tough to expect Arroyo to make an impact as a freshman with Mallory already proven at TE.
In the second year of the Rhett Lashlee offense, Mallory has major upside. Jordan moves on after career numbers with 38 receptions for 576 yards and seven TDs in 2020. Mallory cannot be expected to duplicate those numbers. The other four TEs on the roster will contribute. Mallory will a major part of the Miami offense.
The biggest game of Mallory’s Miami career came with Jordan out against North Carolina State this season. Mallory had six receptions for 78 yards and a TD as Miami rallied for a 44-41 victory in Raleigh over the Wolfpack. With a big senior season, Mallory will significantly improve his NFL Draft stock.
Mallory can return for a fifth season in 2022 after all 2020 fall sports athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility. If Mallory can exceed the career numbers Jordan set in 2020, Mallory could potentially be a second-day pick, as high as the third round in the 2022 NFL Draft. Miami should remain TE U.