On a team loaded with talent, Malachi Thompson may well be Nitro’s biggest star.
However, Thompson, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior wide receiver on arguably the most talented team in the Kanawha Valley, if not Class AAA, might never tell anyone he was the star on the Wildcats’ team.
Thompson will concede he is the star of Nitro's wide receiver corps.
"We have a lot of stars at each position,†Thompson said. “I don’t block on the offensive line, and I don’t throw the ball. I just give 100% on every play.â€
Thompson’s effort translated into 74 catches for 1,593 yards and 18 touchdowns his junior year. That performance earned him the Randy Moss Award from the West Virginia Sports Writers Association as the state’s top receiver in December.
With 20 TDs as a sophomore added in, Thompson earned the attention of college recruiters as well.
Marshall, Ohio, Temple and Toledo came first, with the Thundering Herd and Bobcats showering Thompson with attention. Thundering Herd coach Tony Gibson’s staff nearly had a verbal commitment from Thompson, too.
“They were telling me I was their No. 1 draft pick,†Thompson said of Marshall. “They made me feel wanted.â€
Then West Virginia swooped in with an offer Thompson said he didn’t think was going to be a possibility. When Rich Rodriguez was named the new coach of the Mountaineers, they turned their focus to landing the Nitro star.
Thompson was intrigued enough to take an official visit to Morgantown, and WVU won him over.
“They showed me so much love,†Thompson said. “The facilities, the meals. There are different levels between Marshall and WVU. It’s a big difference.â€
Thompson said he plans to graduate from Nitro early and then enroll early at West Virginia to get a head start on the spring. Once he’s there, Thompson will be with former Hurricane wide receiver Tyshawn Dues, whom he knows.
Before he gets there, Thompson said he hopes to take one more trip to Morgantown – on Sept. 13 for the Backyard Brawl.
There’s still more to do at Nitro, however, and Thompson, who stood out to Wildcats coach James “Boom†McKinney for setting individual goals, has a big one for 2025. Thompson said he wants to win a state championship.
Winning the Class AAA crown, even if that means beating defending champion Bridgeport, is realistic, Thompson said.
That’s just one of his goals, too. Repeating as the Randy Moss Award winner is one. Being named to the first-team All-State list for a fourth time is another, and increasing his foot speed from 4.5 in the 40-yard dash to a 4.4 is still another.
“I’m always adjusting my goals,†Thompson said. “I’m always making them harder on me. I’m not worried about yards. I just want to win.â€
Winning this year will revolve around Thompson developing chemistry with a new quarterback, after the graduation of signal-caller Josh Moody. That new quarterback will be Eian Duffy, who transferred to Nitro from Cabell Midland.
Thompson said he’s impressed so far with Duffy and the two have become friends off the field. With Thompson taking visits to college campuses, participating in 7-on-7 workouts during the spring and early summer were limited, he said.
With the excitement to work together, and with Duffy in a more pass-oriented offense than the Knights', Thompson said the two will have their chemistry down in no time. That relationship will be key to Nitro's offense.
“[Thompson] came to us as a sophomore, and I already knew he had potential with his work ethic,†McKinney said. “He doesn’t talk. He sets individual goals and then meets them.â€
McKinney said when Thompson won the Moss Award that it was difficult to say what Thompson’s best attributes were because he does so many things well. Speed, ability to read defenses and good hands make Thompson the valuable recruit both WVU and Marshall wanted to land.
The Nitro show with its star receiver will begin with a neutral-site game at the former home of the Alderson Broaddus Battlers against Hedgesville. The Wildcats have a grand finale planned for UC Stadium at Laidley Field in December.
