Malachi Widerman is the definition of a true and complete athlete. His interests in sports cuts across American football, basketball, and track events. He has played football and basketball as well as participated in track and field events right from high school, and is now focused on two (football and basketball) at the college level. At the moment, he plays both sports for the Jackson State University (JSU) football and basketball teams (The Tigers).
The 23 year-old hails from Sarasota, Florida in a family of 5 children. He receives applause from sports news outfits such as ESPN, 247, and Rivals as a 4-star rated talent.
Early Life And High School Career Of Malachi Wideman
Malachi Wideman is one of 5 children born to Angela Wideman and Tony Green on 2nd November 2001 in Florida. He has 4 siblings; 3 sisters, Kiannah, Nia, and Antonionna, and 1 brother; Malik. He attended Venice High School in Florida where he actively took part in various sporting activities from football, and basketball to track and field events.
The 23 year-old played football, and basketball ran on the tracks, and competed in high and long jump events for the school. In football, his high school ratings speak volumes about his talent and skills.
Some media sports outfits rated him highly including ESPN, 247, and Rivals whose ratings indicate he is a 4-star prospect. In addition, he was named to various all-star team categories, among which are; All-American Team (2019) by Inaugural Sports Illustrated, Florida Class 7A All-State selection (2019), and 56 Overall Prospect in the Class of 2020 by Rivals.
In 2019, his phenomenal contributions to the Venice High school football team helped them to reach the 2019 Florida Class 7A State semifinals. That same year, he showed his basketball skills by winning the 2019 City of the Palms Classic Dunk Contest.
Upon his high school graduation in 2020, he committed to Jackson State University, majoring in communication studies and playing on the school’s football and basketball teams (The Tigers).
Collegiate Career
Wideman’s collegiate career began as soon as he was through with high school at Tennesse which he chooses over Florida State in 2020. Conversely, he didn’t impress much as a freshman after playing 6 games as a reserve wide receiver. Unfortunately, his sophomore spring practice was bad news because of an injury. He went on to make his collegiate debut on 3rd October 2020 with a smile after the Tennesse Vols beat Missouri 35-12. Two weeks later, the Florida native made a 24-yard grab, his first-career catch in a game against Kentucky.
On 23rd June 2021, the 4-star rated wide receiver from Venice hit the transfer portal and joins the Jackson State Tigers 6 days later, joining the likes of fellow wide receiver Kenny Solomon who transferred to Tulsa. Explaining his reason behind the move, he said Tennesse had opened his eyes and has learned valuable lessons while building lifelong relationships. However, he wants a formidable platform where he would be able to showcase his God-given talents in football and basketball, and Tennesse may have hindered him from achieving that. Moreover, it seems there was some sort of talk earlier on that he could play both sports there, but that never came to be, hence his transfer was inevitable.
According to reports, his switch to Jackson State harmed the Vols’ receiver room.
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Wideman’s Impressive Display For The Tigers Football And Basketball Teams Lands Him An NFT Deal
Since his transfer to Jackson State University in June 2021, Malachi Wideman has found a solid platform to show the world the caliber of an athlete he is. In football, he is top of the Jackson State University Tigers’ wide receivers with the most touchdowns, while his catches lead the team to win the 2021 SWAC football title. Moving to basketball, the two-sports star is said to have made dunks that resemble that of Dominque Wilkins in college and the NBA.
The way he has dominated his opponents in the field and on the court attracted the attention of Legacy League to hand him an NFT deal in January 2022. According to the Legacy Leauge team, the Florida-born football and basketball player is at the top of the HBCU student-athletes on their platform. Kurt Hallead, co-founder of Legacy League said their mission is to provide an avenue for every college athlete in all sports and at all levels to keep a large percentage of their NFT sales while having better control of their brands.
Wideman on his part expresses how grateful he is to partner with Legacy League, saying it is a historic moment that student-athletes can leverage their true value not just in the universe, but also in the metaverse.
In addition to his NFT deal with Legacy League, he is in a partnership with MOGL, a NIL platform, and mobile app that links student-athletes to corporate sponsors and business possibilities.
He Is Quite Tall
Standing at 6ft 4in (196cm/1.96m), Malachi Wideman is quite tall. He uses this height to his advantage whether he is on the basketball court or the football field. No wonder he knows how to catch the ball and dunk. In addition to his towering height, his bodyweight is 86kg (189lbs).
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