Vol fans are already excited to see what four-star wide receiver Malachi Wideman can do once he arrives on campus thanks to his impressive highlight film from high school. Well, fans will likely be even more amped up after seeing some highlights Wideman put up at a recent seven-on-seven event.
Wideman, who flipped his commitment from Florida State to Tennessee and signed with the Vols on National Signing Day earlier this month, was participating in the NFA 7v7 East Regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when he made two incredible catches.
In a video posted by Top Notch Talent on Youtube, you can see Wideman make two phenomenal one-handed grabs with a defender draped all over him.
According to Charles Power of 247Sports, Wideman was one of the top performers at the seven-on-seven event.
“Wideman left no doubt he was in attendance once you saw him move and go up for the ball in-air,” Power wrote. “While it was a bit unfair to match him up on younger prospects, Wideman showed why he was considered one of the more talented pass catchers in the 2020 cycle with a few one-handed grabs that had the field buzzing.”
Coming out of high school, the 6-foot-4, 197-pound athlete from Venice, Florida is a top-200 recruit in both football and basketball. He ranks as the 116th-best football player and the 163rd-best basketball player on 247Sports. Wideman is ranked as the No. 22 overall wide receiver in football and the No. 32 overall shooting guard in basketball.
On National Signing Day, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt said he was “really excited” to add Wideman to the Vols’ football program, citing his athleticism and big play ability.
“When you watch him on the football field, just his catch radius, his instincts to play the position. He really has a very high ceiling, high-pointing the football, has really good toughness,” Pruitt said. “He is a very fluid athlete with the ball in his hands.
“(I’m) really excited about the opportunity to add him to our program.”
There’s also a chance that Wideman will play on the basketball court for the Vols in the 2020-21 season.
Head basketball coach Rick Barnes was asked about that possibility shortly after Wideman signed with the Vols after National Signing Day, and the Vols’ fifth-year head coach is open to the possibility.
“As they get here, they get settled in, it will be their call,” Barnes said of Wideman and fellow four-star signee Dee Beckwith, who also played basketball in high school along with football. “Jeremy (Pruitt) and I have talked about it, and we both know it will be their call, what they think once they go through it, live it, and see if they can do it.”
On the football field, Wideman caught 65 passes for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior, returning a punt for a touchdown as well according to MaxPreps. Wideman was named to the inaugural Sports Illustrated All-American Team for high school football for this past season.
In basketball, Wideman averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds as a junior. In the 2019 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and the Peach Invitational, Wideman averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 steals a game in 19.4 minutes a game in 13 games according to D1Circuit.com. He shot 48 percent overall and 38.7 percent from three. Wideman also won the City of Palms Classic dunk contest back in December.
Dual-sport athlete @mightymal13 is going to Tennessee. ?@Vol_Football | @Vol_Hoops | #GBO pic.twitter.com/QJ24QTHQmR
— Hudl (@Hudl) February 11, 2020
