USC commit Malachi Nelson, a five-star quarterback who is entering his senior year at Los Alamitos High School, recently became the first high school athlete to sign with Klutch Sports Group, which was founded in 2012 by agent Rich Paul and NBA icon LeBron James.
Back in June, Nelson signed his first NIL deal with The h.wood Group, which is a global hospitality company based in Los Angeles that has more than 30 restaurants and clubs around the world.
During a recent podcast appearance with Recruiting Blitz Powered by UCReport, Nelson spoke about signing with Klutch Sports and his relationship with the organization.
“Klutch, it just feels like a complete family,” Nelson said during the interview. “We had, kind of, a charity event this past weekend and you know, the team came out. I’m glad how it worked out. It’s perfect. I feel super comfortable with them. It’s a great team, you know, people behind me. Couldn’t be more proud to represent them.”
Nelson spent time with a local Pop Warner team, which included taking pictures with athletes.
“I will never get to the point, you know, where I’m big-headed and forget about all of those things and never forget about when NIL wasn’t a thing. It’s definitely a blessing to be able to do that, so whenever I can do those type of things, I’m all for it,” Nelson explained.
Nelson, who was previously represented by Justin J. Giangrande of Level Sports Group, says he is committed to the Trojans, however, he took an official visit to Texas A&M in July. So, it’s still unclear if Nelson will 100% join head coach Lincoln Riley at USC.
Nelson, who stands at 6-foot-3, is the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2023, behind only Arch Manning – the nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli.
