Meet Penn’s ace in the hole on the gridiron, sophomore running back Malachi Hosley

Last year, the Ivy League was introduced to Malachi Hosley, a freshman referred to as Penn’s “Touchdown Machine.”

Hosley ended the season with 723 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, even with the Quakers employing more of a run-by-committee offense to start the season. Against rival Cornell, he broke program records for longest offensive play (96 yards) and most rushing yards by a freshman in a game (261).

For his efforts, Hosley was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award honoring the FCS freshman of the year.

“I had a great season, got some records,” Hosley said. “I don’t want to have a second-year slump, though, so I can’t really dwell on [that season] too much.”

Hosley put on 20 pounds this offseason to stay durable and become a more physical runner. He now weighs a muscular 205 pounds.

Last Saturday, Hosley’s physical transformation was clear as he rushed for 176 yards, including a 43-yard burst, at powerhouse Delaware in a 29-22 loss. Next up, Colgate at Franklin Field on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN+).

Colgate won its first game of the season last Saturday — 41-24 at Cornell — after three losses.

Hosley’s journey to become Penn’s premier player was not set in stone, and he still has much more football to play.

Hosley was raised in Columbus, Ga., which lives and breathes football. He jokes that he “grew up in front of cameras” because of the rampant media attention high school football gets in the South.

Hosley decided to stay at Northside, his local high school, instead of picking a better high school program. He believes that staying at Northside helped him develop his instincts as a runner.

“I really didn’t have a good line [in high school], so I just had to build my game on seeing little holes and making big runs,” Hosley said.

Along with football at his high school, Hosley ran track and played basketball. He believes playing multiple sports helped him on the football field, noting that dribble moves in basketball made him a shifty running back.

In his senior year, the Georgia Football Coaches Association selected him as Class 5A offensive player of the year for Regions 1-4. He rushed for 179.3 yards per game and totaled 27 touchdowns that year.

Penn coach Ray Priore likened Hosley’s recruitment to that of Penn alumnus and current Kansas City Chief wide receiver Justin Watson, as he looked to entice Hosley with the many academic and professional opportunities Penn offers.

Hosley, though, was getting the same pitch from another program known for education, not football.

Harvard was interested in Hosley, too. He weighed the two Ivies, but he claims that Harvard pulled its offer after he refused to call off his visit to Penn.

“I’ve always circled Harvard, especially coming in as a freshman,” Hosley said. “That is a game I had on my calendar. That has always been a personal game.”

Against Harvard last season, Hosley totaled 109 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. However, his revenge game came up short, with the Quakers suffering a triple-overtime loss at the Crimson, ending Penn’s Ivy championship hopes.

The “Machine” got a big upgrade this offseason. Hosley said he had to realize something about himself if he wanted to sustain his production. “Most of my runs are great, but they can always be better,” he said. “I’m taking hits. They’re hurting a little bit. Let’s just put on a little more size.”

With a combination of diet changes and an emphasis on weight training, Hosley gained 30 pounds this offseason before cutting back 10. His teammates noticed an increase, too.

“His explosiveness hasn’t left, but he might be hitting the ‘truck stick’ a little more,” said senior right guard Will Bergin.

While getting used to his new playing weight, Hosley suffered a few small injuries because of the added 20 pounds. Today, though, he feels as quick as ever, and he showed it last Saturday as Penn opened its season at Delaware.

“He’s got the God-given speed; he’s got tremendous vision,” Priore said. “And now this added size will add to his durability and his ability to have those powerful runs.”

“I know it’s a lot of pressure coming off a great year. I just want to build off of that,” Hosley said.

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