Malachi Coleman is one of those former homegrown Nebraska football players whom Husker fans should feel like rooting for, even if he's no longer catching passes in Lincoln. The wide receiver's college football story began as one of the most sought-after prospects in the state. Initially, he scared some onlookers by saying he could go to Colorado before signing with NU. Unfortunately, two years after Matt Rhule won the recruiting battle, Coleman moved on to Minnesota.
While he showed up early in fall camp last year, Coleman's fit with the Golden Gophers didn't work out, and he hauled in just 5 catches for 83 yards last season. The lack of playing time led the former Husker to move on to another Big Ten school in Wisconsin. If the reports for early fall camp are accurate, he might have finally found his niche.
Mark Stewart of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel came away from Friday's Wisconsin Badgers practice being quite impressed with the former Nebraska Blue Chip.
"The redshirt junior made catches in a variety of fashions, working the middle of the field and flat and getting a couple of balls from over the top of the defense."
Malachi Coleman produced a lot in practice today. Made a number of catches away from his body or going to the ground. Also reeled in a deep ball on a free play.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) August 9, 2026
Was with the 2's today, but had been running 1's. #Badgers pic.twitter.com/pEVNXT0fX3
Malachi Coleman pushing for major Wisconsin role after leaving Nebraska football
"His big day started with a deep ball along the sideline that he made a contested grab on. He made the most of his size on that play. Later, he showed his speed on a catch across the middle that he turned into a big play, and on a deep ball from Deuce Adams that went for a touchdown."
Is it possible that Coleman has finally realized how best to utilize his 6-foot-5 frame? Is the redshirt junior finally looking like the guy Nebraska thought it got? A tall receiver with speed to spare who could be dominant against smaller defensive backs? So far so good, as it's looking for now like the third time's the charm.
It's clear that one of the reasons Coleman chose the Badgers this past winter is that he knew the uncertainty at wide receiver offered him a chance to grab a starting spot. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said Wisconsin is looking for a serious threat, especially in the group he's got for the 2026 season.
"Somebody needs to emerge as that deep threat for us. There’s two or three guys that might do that, but we’ve gotta see throughout the course of fall camp who really proves to be that primary vertical threat," he told reporters at the Badgers' media day.
Coleman looks like he might just be seizing a starting spot as he followed up a Friday practice full of accolades by getting all kinds of praise on Sunday. Most often, the talk has been about how he's fought for the ball and towered over defenders. If he can be a guy who dominates in jump ball situations, he could go from one of Wisconsin's best weapons to one of the best in the Big Ten.
The added bonus for Nebraska fans is that the Huskers don't play Wisconsin in the regular season this year. That allows them to just sit back and cheer on Malachi Coleman as he looks for the perfect fit for his game.
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