Why Georgia Tech? Malachi Hosley Details What Gave The Yellow Jackets The Edge In His Recruitment

One of the top transfer running backs in this transfer portal cycle was Malachi Hosley, who was one of the top running backs at the FCS level. Hosley was the Ivy League Player of the Year, the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which is awarded at the end of the season to the nation's top FCS player. As you can guess, Hosley had no shortage of teams that wanted him to join their programs, but there was something that they did not have.

Hosley is originally from Columbus, GA, playing at Northside High School and being able to come back to the state of Georgia is what drew Hosley to come and play for Brent Key and the Yellow Jackets.

"So I kind of knew going into it and high school, I was not really highly recruited and I always had dreams of playing at the FBS level, so I kind of knew, okay, I just got to work a little harder. So I ended up committing to Penn, I loved it there, loved the people, great environment, but I realized that wasn't my end goal. So then I just worked hard, I started as a freshman, I was like okay, I did great, but I got more I could show. So went into the summer going into my sophomore year, worked harder, and did great. I really played for a year.

Got some other great accolades, teammates were great though, and then I was like, hey, I made the portal, had a great year, Nathan Brock had followed after my freshman year, but you know, you can't reach out because of the rules so I reached out when the portal opened. I'm like, this is home, great opportunity, I had more offers, but it's like it was always gonna be my top three, regardless, just because it was home and I was like my big thing of leaving. So then they reached out, and I came on my visit.

What sold the deal was Coach Key when I was in his office. He told me, you don't gotta rush, take your time and go to all the visits you want, just know you have a place here and this is home. And that's what sold the deal for me."

Brent Key Georgia Tec — Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sideline against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Coming back to his home state means that Hosley will get to play in front of friends and family more often and he wants to show out when the Yellow Jackets take the field at home for the first time on Sept. 6th against Gardner-Webb:

"I'm gonna try to find all my family and all of them, try to get a touchdown for them. I'm super excited for that one."

Hosley was one of the most important additions of the offseason for Georgia Tech. Last season, the Yellow Jackets lacked real depth behind Haynes, mostly due to injuries. Hosley, Trelain Maddox, and freshmen JP Powell and Shane Marshall are hoping to make Georgia Tech's running back room the deepest in the ACC.

Last season at Penn, Malachi Hosley ran for 1,192 yards on 191 carries and also had nine touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. In 2023, Hosley carried the ball 121 times for 723 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging six yards per carry.

CBS Sports analyst Will Backus named Hosley one of the top "Gems" from the FCS Level of the transfer portal:

"Hosley was a finalist for the 2024 Walter Payton Award after rushing for 1,192 yards and nine touchdowns on 191 carries. Though he was a workhorse at Penn, he'll have to make the most of his opportunities at Georgia Tech, which returns one of the best running backs in college football in Jamal Haynes. Both Hosley and Haynes should benefit from whatever timeshare that Tech's coaching staff settles on."

Hosley wanted to come play in his home state and he is going to be one of the most important players on the Yellow Jackets this season.

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