Do-it-all athlete Malashevich will walk on at West Virginia
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Just how many ways did Spring Valley athlete Graeson Malashevich affect the game this past season?
It might actually be easier to list the ways he didn’t as the 2018 Gatorade Football Player of the Year in the state of West Virginia lined up almost everywhere on the field. During the course of the year he lined up at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, multiple spots on defense, as his team’s returner and even as the punter and long snapper at times.
Basically the senior did everything but throw the ball to himself.
“I did quite a bit,” he said.
Coming into the season, Malashevich hadn’t generated much college attention but that all changed after putting together a standout senior campaign. During that year, he accounted for 915 receiving yards and 895 rushing yards for 25 combined touchdowns while also passing for five more, scoring twice on punt returns, two more times on interception returns and another on a kickoff.
That’s 35 touchdowns in six different ways and his efforts paid off with a scholarship offer from Air Force as well as walk-on opportunities at West Virginia, Penn State, Louisville and Marshall. The versatile athlete visited even more programs over the last year but in the end the opportunity to play Big 12 football in his home-state was too much to pass up so he accepted a preferred walk-on with the Mountaineers.
Malashevich, 5-foot-9, 175-pounds, had visited Morgantown during the season but took another trip to campus in order to meet the coaching staff last weekend and that was enough to seal the deal. A few days later he called offensive line coach Matt Moore to give him the news.
“I really liked what coach (Neal) Brown was doing up there. I had a great visit there and I’m just excited to play for the state of West Virginia,” he said.
“They are pretty excited,” he added about the coaches.
Given the fact he has been used all over the field there are a lot of options where Malashevich could end up in college but the plan is for him to fill a slot at inside wide receiver. The coaching staff has been impressed with his ability to do so many things but believes he is a natural fit for the slot.
“I will get to do a lot of different things there. They spread the ball out and get their playmakers in space. I’m excited to get in such a high-octane offense,” he said.
Malashevich plans to arrive at West Virginia in the summer in order to start summer classes and plans to work hard in order to position himself for the best opportunity possible down the line.
“Coming into the year I didn’t have any college attention at all but now I’ll have a chance to play for a Big 12 team in my home state,” he said.
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