USC Five-Star Plus+ QB signee Malachi Nelson eager to learn from Caleb Williams

After a record-setting high school career at Los Alamitos (Calif.), Malachi Nelson is ready to take the next step in his career at USC.

Before that, he’s enjoying his time at the Under Armour All-America Game festivities this week, though he isn’t participating due to injury.

“My junior year, I dislocated my shoulder and then I had to make the decision of whether I wanted to get the surgery,” he told On3. “And I tore my labrum. So I could get the surgery and miss my senior year or do the surgery after. I decided I was going to play my senior year with my brothers, so I ended up playing and having to get the surgery pretty soon after [the season was over].”

Malachi Nelson is excited to develop under Lincoln Riley

The Five-Star Plus+ quarterback is currently in the recovery process, but expects to begin throwing again in about three months, with the plan to be fully ready to go by this summer. He’ll head directly from Orlando to his new home at USC, which is just a few miles down the road from Los Alamitos.

After committing to the Trojans last fall, he continued to hear from a number of other schools, but he ultimately signed with the Trojans last month.

“It was a combination of a lot of things,” Nelson said of why he stuck with USC. “The biggest thing for me was development, and I want to have a staff who can help me get to the next level and fulfill my dreams. I felt that was Coach Riley and the staff he put together, so I’m excited to get to work and take that next step to make it to the league.”

Nelson has a strong bond already with Caleb Williams

Once he gets to campus, he’ll be in the same quarterback room as Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, who took college football by storm under Riley this season. Nelson relishes the chance to learn from one of the country’s best players at his position, someone who he has been friends with for a few years now.

“There’s not a lot of quarterbacks I’d be okay sitting behind, but he’s definitely one of them,” Nelson said. “We have a really good relationship, and I’ve known him for a while. He’s got a really good family, and he’s been a big help for me. And his parents for my parents as well with the recruiting process.

… I’m excited to learn from him, be a sponge, learn how he operates in certain situations and add them to my game.”