Four-Star Edge Malik Bryant names top 5

Four-star edge Malik Bryant of Orlando (Fla.) Jones High has narrowed his list to five schools— Alabama, Florida, Miami, UCF, and USC.

The 6-foot-3, 230 pounder went in-depth on his finalists.

Alabama

“It’s Alabama, they win games,” Bryant said. “It’s a great program, of course. But they really take care of their players. They have programs off the field to hold their players accountable. They really care about them more than how they can produce on the field. I really like that.”

Florida

“I like that when the new staff came in how they got a grip on recruiting,” Bryant said. “They know their guys and they’re recruiting the families. I like their scheme and how they want to use me all over the field, how they can set me up to make plays. Everybody I’ve talked to on their team, even with them losing their old staff and getting a new staff, they still feel at home and that says a lot.”

Miami

“It’s kind of similar to Florida with a new staff,” Bryant said. “I feel like coach Cristobal knows what he’s doing with Miami, with the recruiting process. I don’t know if it will be this year or next, but I know Miami will be on the uprise and I want to get my hands on some of that. Coach played there, coached there and came back to coach. That’s where he’s destined to be and I know how much he cares about his players. And how they’re helping with NIL stuff, that stuck out to me as well.”

UCF

“It’s right at home, not too far from the crib,” Bryant said. “The whole coaching staff has taken the time to get to know me and my family. They really respect my story and they understand my goal to help the youth in my hometown. UCF really took a part in that. Being right here where I’m from, I can do everything I want to do in my hometown. They’re definitely on the uprise.”

USC

“I like how they take care of their players,” Bryant said. “Coach Riley, when he was at Oklahoma, he pushed that issue. Without the players, the program would not be complete. Throughout the whole recruiting process, he showed me and my mom that we were important to them. Not just the football stuff, but they have accountability programs to make sure all their players succeed in life. Even if you play until you’re 35 or 40, you still have a whole life after that. They care about that.”

Malik Bryant ranks as the No. 40 player in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that accounts for all four major recruiting sites. He also tabs in as the No.6 edge and the tenth-best player in the state of Florida.

He will make his college decision on July 23rd, alongside Peyton Kirkland and Derrick LeBlanc.