Malachi Coleman has had an interesting road to potential stardom with the Wisconsin Badgers. After his performance against Notre Dame on Sunday night, the former Nebraska football star might finally be showing the talent Huskers’ head coach Matt Rhule knew he had but couldn’t quite tap into.
Coleman was officially listed as a backup for the Badgers, but he quickly became someone Wisconsin couldn’t do without. He led his team with 4 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. That TD was impressive because of the double move he put on cornerback Jayden Sanders, freezing the defender in place. Coleman was then free to waltz 28 yards into the end zone. His score tied the game at 10-10 early in the second quarter and kept the Badgers within shouting distance down 13-10 at the end of the first half.
Coleman also showed he was one of the better receivers on the field when he made one of only two catches that Leonard Moore allowed. The ex-Nebraska wideout also had the longest reception of the night against the All-American cornerback, going for 13 yards. The other reception against Moore went for just 3 yards.
After the game, Coleman talked like a grizzled veteran who has seen the inside of a couple of programs. When asked about what it was like facing the Irish defenders, he said he gave them “credit where credit is due.”
Malachi Coleman hauls it in to tie things up 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ufIP19niXp
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 7, 2026
Malachi Coleman shows breakout potential after difficult Nebraska football departure
“Very lengthy, very good with their hands, technique,” the former Nebraska star said.
Coleman also pinpointed where he thinks he needs to improve if he wants to continue getting playing time: “I need to get a little bit better with my hands because they did get me with that jump jam,” he said. “And then, just overall, physicality. Like them safeties coming down, they wanted to hit. You got to be able to stick our faces in there.”
It’s possible last night was a sign Coleman is finally headed for the stardom Nebraska thought he might find even as a true freshman. On Sunday night, he played 40 snaps and was the top offensive player on the Badgers according to Pro Football Focus.
Coleman is on his third team in the Big Ten over four seasons. In 2023, he logged decent playing time for Nebraska and hauled in 8 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. He then sat out the entire 2024 season before transferring to Minnesota. Last year, he saw just 174 snaps and caught 5 passes for 83 yards. He then transferred to Wisconsin this past winter.
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