Thanks to Mike Drake for the scoop.

The #1 player in Canada. 6-1, 205.

http://www.sportseh.ca/article/maleek-irons-doing-everything-and-then-some

Impressive!

Good news, though, I would also like to see a graduate transfer who could play right away. I would like Mr. Irons to benefit from a redshirt year.

Q Black Sabbath.....I am Iron Man😃.

Perhaps he can speak French with N'Dour and become International fast friends! Of course French speaking Canada is the other direction so perhaps N'Dour can tutor him if he' d like!

Not rated by ESPN but known to them
Not known to 247Sports or Rivals.
Known to Scout.com, but not rated by them.
Rated 4.5 stars by L.C.

I have to wonder if Chris Garrett playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders affected this.

All season long I have been saying that the number one priority was a bigger back. This is the man. This is the best RB that Solich has recruited since Mike Rozier. With this additions, maybe it's time to go get a 4-star fullback, and go back to the I-formation.

As far as I'm concerned, this class has it all, now. Anything else they add from here out is gravy. Another QB would be nice, as would another CB, but even without those, I'm happy.

He's not going to flatten defenders, but he's not going to get arm-tackled, either, and he's got good speed, balance, and lateral movement, and outstanding acceleration, but what makes him really stand out is his ability to see the field and read and follow blocks. He and Walker are both outstanding, but very different backs, meaning the offense of the future is going to have a lot of options. It's very much like recruiting Kalvin McRae and Chris Garrett in the same class.

What a pleasant surprise!  Don't have time to watch the whole video, but the young man does not go down unless he's TACKLED.  Wow.

I am not sure of the level of play for Canadian High School football. When Canadian teams venture into Northern Ohio for the results are pretty one sided. 
I am thinking this will be a wait and see for me. Putting it in the category of American Samoan defensive linemen. Hoping for the best.

This article says he rushed for 3,696 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior but had no Division I offers at the time (June) it was written.

I counted the players on the highlight film. It appears to be standard eleven man football.



That's indeed the wild card. The competition level is NOT good. That's what makes it hard to know for sure how good he is. Still, his measurables are good - he runs a lasar-timed 4.49, for example. For me the thing is, some things translate better than others. Skills like seeing the field, timing the use of your blocks, etc, are not that different against bad competition or the NFL. Remember - yes, it's true that the defenders aren't good, but neither are his blockers.

Often when I watch a highlight film of a running back, the back takes the handoff, runs through a big hole at the line, and speeds by the defenders for a TD. What does that tell me? Not much. In this case, as I said, his blockers are on a par with the defenders. The holes aren't big, and he has to time his run to use the blocks, and get through small openings, which he does well. He also shows lateral quickness in sidestepping defenders at times. That will scale well to better competition, I think. The defenders will be better, but so will the blockers. He'll still have to see and read the field, and time his use of the blocks to get through holes.

I think he has a lot of potential. The number one thing you can't see on his film is his heart. Think about Kalvin McRea. What made him a stand out, for me, among Ohio's running backs? His heart. He knew what was needed, and got it done. He played to win. He wasn't the fastest, the quickest, or the best in any specific, measurable way, but he gave it his all on every play. There is no guarantee that Maleek will be a star for Ohio, but the potential is there, in my opinion.

I am very excited to read these posts about Maleek, And as someone who has followed his Varsity career I can tell you he is a special player. I can assure you if he attended school in the US he would be a 4 or 5 star recruit. Maleek is rarely ever brought down by first contact, he is always moving forward and is physical with break away speed and vision. 

 Maleek has a large frame and can easily be 215 -225lbs pounds with 4.5 speed.  Maleek is a very special blend of talent and when he attended camps in the US he won top RB and MVP awards. This is a great day for a Canadian athlete and a fantastic signing for Ohio.

Go BOBCATS!!!!

I'd settle for that.


The last couple years Ohio has signed some very good offensive linemen, too. This year the offensive line was abnormally bad because the four Fifth-Year Seniors that were supposed to anchor it were all injured, and most of the snaps were taken by Sophomores and Freshmen. Over the next few years Maleek will have a very good line in front of him, and it sounds like he's already met some of them. I hope he can redshirt next year while he adjusts to the speed of Division I football, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him on the field.