Notre Dame Has Its Eye On Massive, Athletic 2022 OT Maleek McNeil

The biggest thing about Maleek McNeil‍ as a football player would seem to be, well...Maleek McNeil.

“In terms of what would make him an FBS football player, first off, it’s his size,” Williston Northampton School head coach Tommy Beaton says. “He’s truly all of 6-8, 335, 340. He will step on a scale, he will get his height taken by anyone.”

But that’s certainly not the only thing that jumps out about McNeil, a New York native who attends the Massachusetts prep school.

“Really, with him, it’s the combination of his size and his incredible athletic ability,” Beaton continues. “He can catch punts. He can kickoff. He can do multiple things. He can put his straight leg all of the way over his head. He can do the splits.

“His athletic ability coupled with that size is very, very special.”

Off the field, McNeil checks the boxes as well.

“He’s a great kid,” says Beaton. “He’s the type of kid who will hold the door for somebody. He’s the type of kid who will pick up a fork off the ground when he thinks nobody is looking. He’s just that type of kid.”

McNeil has early offers from UMass, Boston College, Rutgers and Central Michigan.

“He’s very excited about all four of those opportunities,” says Beaton. “We are practicing right now. We’re filming and all of that. My guess is that when he puts together a tape from all the practices, he’ll have several more.”

Williston is conducting weekly COVID-19 testing among its campus community and are hoping for the chance to play some games this fall.

“Obviously, nothing is guaranteed, but our hope is that we can find schools that are being safe similarly to us and that are testing as well,” says Beaton. “The earliest we’d play is mid-October. I think it’s going to be another two to three weeks before we can be sure that game’s going to happen.”

Notre Dame reached out to McNeil on Sept. 1st, the first day colleges could directly contact junior prospects and it certainly grabbed his attention.

“Obviously, Notre Dame, that program is incredibly special. The second you hear Notre Dame, that certainly opens up some eyes and attracts kids from all over.”