Oklahoma Football Recruitment: 2023 Five-Star QB Malachi Nelson Pledges Sooners On CBS Sports HQ

One of the potential future stars of college football signed up on CBS Sports HQ on Sunday as five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, one of the top prospects in the 2023 class, gave Oklahoma a verbal commitment in the part of a great recruiting weekend for Lincoln Riley’s Sooners.

Nelson is ranked as the # 5 overall prospect in his class by 247Sports and had a list of finalists that included Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC.

“I was fortunate to be recruited by some of the best universities,” Nelson said on CBS Sports HQ before moving to Oklahoma. “It’s a special place. When I finally got to campus, I felt really comfortable with the staff. I felt good.”

Nelson is Oklahoma’s second class 2023 commit. A day before Nelson’s verbal, the Sooners recruited another top-notch rookie in four-star athlete Treyaun Webb.

The only quarterback ranked ahead of Nelson in the class of 2023 by 247Sports is Arch Manning. Nelson is praised for his athleticism, but is clearly a passer talent as he completed 73.9% of his passes for 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions in a six-game spring season at Los Alamitos High School in Calif. year.

At 6-3, 180 pounds, Nelson is still nervous but has two more seasons of high school football to develop before showing up to college. Nelson drew a comparison with Justin Fields of Gabe Brooks, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst, who wrote the following scout report.

Nelson has all the physical tools you could possibly need in a next level signal call. At 6-3, 180 pounds, he has an athletic body with plenty of room to grow taller with a good weight. He’s a very fluid athlete in everything he does. He has a smooth, effortless release and the ball jumps out of his hand. He has a down arm, is precise at all three levels of the pitch, and can throw with touch and change gears. He’s a mature quarterback and he already shows a high football IQ in terms of decision-making and job management. He is also an athlete more for a quarterback and shows the ability to extend plays and go out and pick up yards in the running game. He’s made a big jump this offseason and needs to show he can put it together with the pads in sophomore, but no quarterback in the class has a higher cap right now than Nelson.