BOISE, Idaho — Former five-star prospect and USC quarterback Malachi Nelson announced his commitment to Boise State Saturday night following an official visit this weekend.
Nelson is the highest-rated recruit in school history, adding to the early success of new Bronco head coach Spencer Danielson with his highly-anticipated announcement. The California native entered the NCAA transfer portal in December after redshirting this past season with the Trojans.
The program-shifting announcement on social media was short and sweet Saturday, with Nelson posting "Boise, this is it.. Committed #BleedBlue." All-Mountain West honoree Ashton Jeanty, Nelson's new partner in the backfield, replied by saying "let's work brotha."
ESPN ranked Nelson as the No. 1 recruit in the nation in the 2023 class after being named the 2022 Gatorade California Player of the Year. He took four snaps at USC in his true freshman campaign, and comes to the City of Trees with four years of eligibility remaining.
Nelson was considered the No. 5 quarterback and No. 13 prospect in the country in his respective recruiting class by 247Sports. The Los Alamitos High School star earned recognition across the board as a 2023 Under Armour All-American and Polynesian Bowl All-Star.
Danielson and Co. quietly focused on finding a veteran gunslinger out of the portal after Taylen Green's decision to transfer to Arkansas, telling the media it was "all about the right fit" during the head coach's National Signing Day press conference.
With a 247 Composite rating of .9951, Nelson surpasses Dylan Sumner-Gardner's rating of .9623, becoming Boise State's highest-rated commit ever. Nelson's offers out of high school included Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and more.
Including Jeanty, the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, Boise State returns 18 starters this fall. The program's all-time leader in career field goals made, Jonah Dalmas, announced he was returning for the 2024 season on Friday.
As a senior at Los Alamitos, Nelson was 192-for-286 (67.1%) passing, with 2,898 yards, 35 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 153 yards and a pair of scores on 23 carries.
He played all four years on varsity and finished with 7,984 passing yards, 503 rushing yards and 110 total touchdowns. Nelson was named the 2021 Gatorade California Player of the Year as a junior.
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