WATCH: OU commits Malachi Nelson, Makai Lemon connect for score
Los Alamitos (Calif.) quarterback Malachi Nelson is one the elite quarterbacks in the country, regardless of class. His receivers aren’t too bad either.
Nelson, the No. 3 overall player in the 2023 class, plays alongside four-star wideouts DeAndre Moore Jr. and Makai Lemon. All three are committed to Oklahoma, and the Nelson-Lemon combo showed off just how dangerous they are on Friday night.
In the second quarter, Lemon burst past his defender, and Nelson hit him in stride for an 80-yard touchdown pass. The score put Los Alamitos up 34-14.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Nelson is one of three players in the 2023 On3 Consensus rankings to achieve Five-Star+ status. Those players are ranked as five-stars by each of the four major recruiting sites.
Lemon checks in at No. 45 in the On3 Consensus, while Moore is ranked No. 50. All three committed to Oklahoma between July and September, joining four-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss. The Sooners are the only program to have four top-50 prospects committed in 2023, and they also have the No. 1 class in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.
Malachi Nelson is lifelong friends with Lemon. They first met when they were 7 years old playing in Pop Warner football in Los Alamitos. And Moore, originally from Las Vegas, transferred in this fall to play with Lemon and Nelson.