Redshirt senior offensive lineman Nick Malone has come a long way in his career.
And the week of the Pittsburgh game where two different parts of his past intersect is a good time to reflect on the journey for Malone at this point of his career.
That’s because at one point the Morgantown native was initially committed to the Panthers from August until February but did not sign with the Panthers. That led him to look at his options and growing up a fan of the West Virginia football program, there was obvious interest.
Malone would then elect to walk on with his home town West Virginia and eventually played his way into a scholarship in November of his 2022 season.
“I think of it as if it didn't work out. Go to plan B and plan B obviously worked out better than plan A and I think I’m doing pretty well where I’m at,” he said.
Malone spent time in his career as a backup offensive lineman as well as an extra tight end but during that time has made significant jumps on the field. He earned four starts in 2023 but moved into a full-time starting role ahead of this season where he has played 123 snaps across two games.
In his previous role, Malone had to stay ready at all times at left tackle or right tackle but now he has been able to focus more on his role on the right side of the line. Still, what he previously learned has helped carry over in his mental preparation.
“You have to stay ready no matter what,” he said.
Also Malone being able to switch sides earlier in his career prepared him to know what everybody else is doing to understand the perspective of what everybody else has to do.
On the physical side, Malone has had to work to maintain his weight after practice so he has focused on drinking a lot of water, eating and drinking shakes to keep that up. The volume of that has been a challenge at times, but Malone has gotten used to that aspect of it all.
“You have to eat every two or three hours,” he said.
Malone believes that he has held his own through two games and Pro Football Focus would support that as he is currently listed as the highest rated player on the offense. But he is more satisfied with how the offensive line was able to overcome their first game hiccups and rushed for 300-plus yards.
The unit also played with better communication and made the steps necessary to put themselves on an upward trajectory moving forward this season.
Growing up in the shadow of West Virginia, Malone is plenty familiar with the Backyard Brawl rivalry and cites last season’s game as the highlight because he was able to participate in it. There is an elevated intensity with the Backyard Brawl on the schedule but Malone and the rest of the team try to keep it consistent and focus on the task at hand.
This year’s edition will again be a physical match up and the Panthers will present challenges with how they blitz their linebackers, stunt their defensive line and will try to load the box and stop the run. But Malone is excited for the opportunity to live out his dream with his biggest snap count to date.
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