Elite Vols DL Prospect Rated as No.3 Interior DL by SI All-American

Tywone Malone is one of the most intriguing prospects in the entire 2021 class based off of his versatility to play football or baseball. Malone is considered one of the top defensive linemen in the country, and his ranking by SI All-American confirms that. 

SI All-American released their top 10 interior DL today, and Malone was ranked as No.3 prospect in America.

The release was focused from old-school noseguards to new-age, pass-rushing 3-techniques with enough athleticism to play as the end man of an odd-man front, this group features that combination of size, athleticism and of course polish that make interior defenders among the priority positions on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 

The SI All-American team wrote on Malone: With his fantastic athleticism, we’ve seen Malone line up at receiver and pluck passes with his mitts in traffic. He shows rare movement skills for an interior defensive lineman, often penetrating single gaps with snap quickness. The New Jersey native has a swim and bull-rush in his pass-rush toolbox, plus he has some ability to bend and corner with a flat angle to a passer’s launch point. Malone has enough strength and power to punch and peek at the point, stack and be responsible for dual gaps in the run game. He will need to play with better leverage and pad level at the point, but he has traits of a swing interior tackle who can play 1,3, 4i and 5-technique for a defense.

Malone recently did an interview with VR2 on SI to talk about his recruitment.

At the time, the talented prospect said on handling the COVID-19 shutdown, "I did a lot of zooms and FaceTime, but it is difficult because I would have liked to visit the schools in persons."

Malone cut his list of schools in half earlier this year when he released a list of favorites from his social media account. He said  on the difficulty of trying to separate schools from each other during this time, "all of the teams would call or text me from time to time. A lot of them have really been showing me love."

For Malone, getting to campuses is going to be a key factor in his recruitment, and he will not do anything until he has. He has kept his focus on the two-sport grind that has pushed him to the level he is at today, adding in June, " I have just been working out on both during this time."

He said on playing both sports, "it is going to be a big part of the decision on where I go."

Tennessee has been on a recruiting tear over the last month and a half, and the Vols have caught the attention of the New Jersey standout. They have been upfront with him about the immediate need on the defensive line in the 2021 class, and he is listening to their pitch.

He added, "Tennessee said I could be a dominant force within their program."

He continued about the coaching staff, "my relationship with the coaching staff there is good. We talk about twice a week."

The Vols are recruiting him by committee with Jimmy Brumbaugh and area recruiter Joe Osovet leading the charge for the top-50 prospect.

Malone said on his next step in the process, " I don't know yet for my next step. Right now, I am just waiting for quarantine to end, so I can go on more visits. I am not making my final decision until the Under Armour All-American Game."