Lincoln East’s Malachi Coleman picks Nebraska on Signing Day

After an up-and-down month of uncertainty for Malachi Coleman, he’s decided to end up at the same place he started.

The Lincoln East standout announced on Wednesday that he will be committing to Nebraska for the second time, a decision that marks a major signing day win for the Huskers.

“We staying home, that’s for sure,” Coleman said in a livestream with Rivals that attracted more than 3,000 viewers. “We ain’t going nowhere.”

A top-100 national recruit and one of the best prospects to come out of Lincoln in recent years, Coleman initially committed to Nebraska in October. However, the presence of a new coaching staff led Coleman to survey his options elsewhere by reopening his recruitment on Dec. 1.

But Matt Rhule and the new Nebraska coaching staff weren’t ready to let Coleman go. Nebraska hosted Coleman and other in-state players on Dec. 4 before the four-star recruit returned for an official visit the next weekend.

“They for sure made it known to me that I’m a top priority,” Coleman said. “To know right off the bat with the new coaching staff that I’m still wanted like that was very important to me and family. Coach Rhule is an amazing person and he’s built a really good staff around him.”

All of this came amid interest from two of Coleman’s previous top choices, Georgia and Michigan, along with increased attention from the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes. Coleman took an official visit to Colorado over the weekend, only to find that Nebraska still remained at the top of his list.

At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Coleman is a dynamic athlete with the potential to play either wide receiver or edge rusher in college. Coleman said the plan is for him to start off as a wide receiver, with the potential to play other positions in the future.

For now, one thing is for sure — Coleman sees a future for himself as a homegrown hero at Nebraska.

“Coach Rhule is known for putting people in the NFL and building teams back up,” Coleman said. “I fully trust that’s what we’re going to do here, and I want to be a part of that because I’m from here, it’s where I live and it’s my city. I want to put on for the state.”

Coleman’s commitment makes him Nebraska’s highest-ranked 2023 recruit as the only top-100 prospect in the class. Coleman is also Nebraska’s eighth in-state commit in the class.