Quarterback, Syracuse (from USC, Boise State, UTEP), 2023–⁠26

Malachi Nelson

Lettered 2023 at USC (school media guide)

Number
No. 16
Height
6′3″
Weight
193 lb
Class (2026)
Junior
Hometown
Los Alamitos, CA

Malachi Nelson plays quarterback for Syracuse, after USC (2023), Boise State (2024) and UTEP (2025). Last time out, against Louisville: 26 of 39, 315 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 6 carries, −33 yards.

2026 so far

532 passing yards, 3 TD

Last game: 26 of 39, 315 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 6 carries, −33 yards vs. Louisville, L 26–⁠34

Next game: at North Carolina, Oct 24

Game by game this season, passing yards
  1. 0UNH
  2. 217@UVA
  3. 315LOU

Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.

At a glance

Best season
1,163
Passing yards, 2025 (UTEP, 2–⁠10)
Best game
404 yards
Vs. UL Monroe, week 4, 2025: No. 3 passing game in FBS that week

Career highs

404passing yards, career highvs. UL Monroe, 20254touchdown passes, career highvs. UT Martin, 2025

Team titles: Mountain West champions, 2024

Passing

Passing yards, season by season, with his team’s record

* The season in progress, so far.

SeasonTeamCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDInt
2023USC1333.300.000
2024Boise State121770.61287.501
2025UTEP10419054.71,1636.189
2026Syracuse427060.05327.632
Career15928056.81,8236.51112

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2024Boise State2−11−5.500
2025UTEP23−13−0.6010
2026Syracuse12−14−1.209
Career37−38−1.0010

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2023USC16QBYr 1
2024Boise State16QBYr 2
2025UTEP16QBYr 3
2026Syracuse16QBJr. (Yr 4)6′3″193

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. pass
2024Boise State190.38––7.2––
2025UTEP2140.033rd (n=314)0.246.056%-0.07
2026Syracuse900.00––0.332%–

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Passing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessDepthAfter catchDeep throwsDeep completed
2025UTEP35%––––
2026Syracuse46%10.8 yds5.5 yds11 of 6736%

Success: passes that kept the offense on schedule. Depth: how far downfield his passes traveled in the air, on average. After catch: yards his receivers gained after the catch, per completion. Deep throws: the play-by-play gives depth and direction for about half of a passer’s throws; this is how many of those went deep, and how many of the deep ones were caught. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Rushing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessLine yardsSecond levelOpen fieldStuffed
2025UTEP39%3.300.500.008%

Where his yards came from, per carry: line yards are the ones credited to the blockers (the first few, and losses), second level the yards 5 to 10 past the line, open field those beyond 10. Success: carries that kept the offense on schedule. Stuffed: carries stopped at or behind the line. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Game by game

2026 Syracuse 3 games, 532 passing yards, 3 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 5vs.New HampshireW 66–⁠302000–
Oct 10atVirginiaL 25–⁠2816292171019
Oct 17vs.LouisvilleL 26–⁠34263931522−33
2025 UTEP 6 games, 1,163 passing yards, 8 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 30atUtah StateL 16–⁠282234178112
Sep 6vs.UT MartinW 42–⁠17142627840−2
Sep 13atTexasL 10–⁠27243620902−3
Sep 20vs.UL MonroeL 25–⁠31224640432−15
Sep 27vs.Louisiana TechL 11–⁠301838730419
Oct 8vs.LibertyL 8–⁠194102100−14
2024 Boise State 3 games, 128 passing yards
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 21vs.Portland StateW 56–⁠14586600−9
Oct 5vs.Utah StateW 62–⁠30574701−2
Nov 1vs.San Diego StateW 56–⁠24221500–
2023 USC 1 game, 0 passing yards
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 26vs.San José StateW 56–⁠2813000–

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

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