Malone brings day-one impact to Ole Miss

Ole Miss football is now officially home to three dual-sport stars.

Four-star Bergen Catholic (N.J.) defensive tackle Tywone Malone joins Jerrion Ealy and John Rhys Plumlee after signing his letter of intent with Lane Kiffin and the Rebels.

The country’s No. 64 overall prospect chose Ole Miss over notable offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Texas A&M among several others.

Texas A&M and FSU were fellow finalists.

Co-defensive coordinator Chris Partridge and defensive graduate assistant Marquise Watson were both instrumental with Malone's recruitment. Malone battled injuries as a senior, making just 12 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one interception in six games. He had ACL surgery in the offseason but should be 100 percent for the fall.

New Jersey’s No. 1 ranked player burst onto the scene with a breakthrough junior year in 2019. He finished the year with 54 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.

He even had a 34-yard reception that went viral.

Ole Miss baseball head coach Mike Bianco and assistant coach Carl Lafferty were just as important in this recruitment. Malone is a legitimate two-sport star who was courted by Florida State’s Mike Martin, Jr. and Texas A&M’s Rob Childress, but the Rebels were able to hold them off to secure the big-bodied first baseman and designated hitter.

After Malone took unofficial visits to Tallahassee and College Station, he ended his recruiting visits with one last stop to Oxford.

The Under Armour All-American will join fellow defensive line signees Isaiah Iton, Jamond Gordon, Jibran Hawkins, Demarcus Smith, and Taleeq Robbins in Oxford after his final baseball season at Bergen Catholic.

ANALYSIS: The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle is incredibly strong at the point of attack. He is more than capable of overpowering interior offensive linemen to make plays behind the line of scrimmage and is just as able to run down running backs and quarterbacks. His repertoire is a bit limited, but his quick first step, handwork, and strength helps him win one-on-one with ease.

He’s also shown the athleticism to make plays in the passing game on defense as well.