UGA’s Ken ‘Boo’ Malcome ready to show what he can do at tailback
Redshirt freshman tailback Ken Malcome, a Southwest DeKalb graduate, feels he has been "slept on a little bit." (UGA photo by Steve Colquitt)
The first thing you notice about Ken Malcome is his physique. He’s not the heavyset kid known around Southwest DeKalb as “Boo” anymore. Upon initial sighting he actually looks taller. To that notion he just laughs and says his body has “been rearranged.”
“I’ve lost a lot of body fat,” Malcome said this past Friday. “I can’t remember what my percentage was the last time they checked it but it’s a lot lower. I got a lot more muscle, a lot more tone. The coaches say I look a lot better from the time I first got here.”
Malcome came to Georgia last year at 6-foot, 215 pounds and weighed 226 when the Bulldogs entered spring practice. He now sits at 220 pounds, which he said is right about where Georgia wants him.
As for the “rearrangement,” Malcome credits that to two things: One, the daily torture chamber that is Georgia’s offseason strength and conditioning program under coach Joe Tereshinski; and two, Malcome is supremely motivated to get some playing time at tailback this fall.
“I feel like I’ve been slept on a little bit,” said Malcome, who rushed for 1,168 yards and 16 touchdowns at Southwest DeKalb before redshirting last season. “I’ve got to be ready Sept. 3rd. That’s all I’ve been thinking in my head.”
Malcome best be ready. After this week’s news that junior Carlton Thomas will have to sit out the opener due to a disciplinary suspension, he’s one of three scholarships tailbacks the Bulldogs have left, and that’s only after Georgia moved Richard Samuel back over to offense from linebacker. Samuel played 22 games at tailback with six starts his first two seasons before getting moved to defense and redshirting last year. So Samuel is now the only tailback with game experience.
“A lot of things have happened this summer,” Malcome said. “We lost Washaun [Ealey] and Caleb [King] and now Richard’s back. But we’ve still been grinding. The current running backs can’t think about all that other stuff. Whatever happens, happens. It’s unfortunate that some of those guys are gone, but we have to look forward and keep moving.”
Malcome said he doesn’t see Samuel’s move back to the position as a lack of confidence from the coaching staff in him or true freshman Isaiah Crowell.
“It’s probably good to have that experience,” Malcome said. “We’re still very young. Richard gives us an experienced back and can help us keep our confidence up.”
Malcome may have already found his way on the field, but minor injuries and difficulty grasping the playbook have held him back. He missed 10 practice sessions in the spring due to a groin injury. He said it’s still an issue but believes he can play through it.
“The groin is cool now,” Malcome said. “I’m still getting treatment on it. I’m going to try my best to get it better for camp. Once you start running on it it’ll start hurting again, but I’ve just got to keep going.”
There’s reason to believe he can. So far at least, he has survived Tereshinski’s run-heavy training regimen.
“It’s rough, real rough,” Malcome said. “I’m not much of a long-distance runner, but I make my times. You get used to it after a while.”
It shows. Soon we’ll find out if it translates onto the football field.
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170 comments Add your comment
Senator Blutarski
July 20th, 2011
11:14 pm
–Samuel, Crowell and Malcome will probably all get carries. Wouldn’t worry too much about Crowell in these very early adjustment days…remember very early on somewhere around this time of year, more or less, Coach Vince Dooley said he was “afraid” that Herschel Walker was just a “big, stiff back.” Not saying that Crowell will be the second coming of Herschel, but many people do have to go through adjustment periods in their lives before they bloom.
bethlehemdawg
July 20th, 2011
11:26 pm
malcome is getting a lot of hype for someone may not get any carries. After ealey left he was fourth on the depth chart. I imagine with king home and Samuel being put in the mix, Samuel jumps to one or two and malcome stays at number 4. When crowell gets here, if he can learn the system and how to block probably jumps him. I seriously think crowell will be red shirted, unless he is the next hershal walker or maybe knowshon. He will have to be great to play, we already have good. Samuel will start. Walkon sophomore brandon harton will probably be the two punch against boise state. Barton according to coach richt was the best back this spring, and may be the fastest back. Barton played receiver last year and is just starting to learn the system at Rb and has already passed malcome who is in his second year. I look for the depth chart to look like Samuel, Harton, Thomas, Cromwell, Malcome, with malcome getting carries over crowell unless he can jump to the top one or two spots by the first game, with the potential to take the starting job.
sldkfjslk
July 21st, 2011
1:23 am
Our problem has not been running backs, it’s been o-line. And the biggest switch this season won’t be Samuel but Justin Anderson. He hasn’t shown the ability to do anything since arriving and now he’s the starting right tackle? Good luck Aaron Murray. I have the feeling you’ll be throwing off your back foot a lot this year and heaving it to some unproven receivers. And good luck to whomever tries to find a hole. All the running in the world won’t get this thin line ready for SEC play. It’s not 1976 anymore JT2. Maybe you should stick with the VHS.
bubba4dawgs
July 21st, 2011
7:10 am
An injury does not heal unless you give it a chance. It sure isn’t going to heal by overworking it! Boo already admits it’s coming back with T’s long runs. Hey, “T”, rest him now and then! Save him for at least one game, preferably SC.
Who?
July 21st, 2011
9:03 am
this dude won’t even get on the field. Crowell will start from the first snap and dominate this year–book it!
Jason Anders
July 21st, 2011
9:18 am
I am a little excited to see this group of tailbacks on the field and what they may or may not be able to do. I believe that this group with Malcome, Samuels, Thomas, Crowell, and Boykin or Smith thrown into the mix will be a competitive and solid combination of backs for Georgia. I hope some of the other lesser known backs get playing time and get an opportunity to showcase their abilities.
I hope that Ealey and King do well and wish them the very best. I can”t help but to say, I’m glad they are not at Georgia anymore. I like the group we have now, much less antics overall. If the guys will bond tightly and give it their all – there’s no telling what may happen? I believe that they have the talent to make this a special running back year for GEORGIA.
It would be nice for this group to maybe look at some film of the great backs that played at Georgia as individuals (Walker, Moreno, Tate, Brown and others) and as a group such as the “Freshmen Connection” backs of the late 80’s or early 90’s. (Great group of backs!!!).
I wish Georgia the very best and my football love for the Georgia program is as strong as it was in the early 1970’s.
GO DAWGS!!!
WDE
July 21st, 2011
9:29 am
If IC shows he can compete at the SEC level give him the rock if he can’t show that give him the redshirt and time to develop and grow..pretty simple.
SLCDawg
July 21st, 2011
12:01 pm
He can’t recover from that groin injury without resting it
SLCDawg
July 21st, 2011
12:05 pm
Harton is smaller than Thomas
larry
July 21st, 2011
12:20 pm
the five! ten! fifteen! there goes Malcome
larry
July 21st, 2011
12:23 pm
My GOD he’s a Freshman!
Al Ciraldo
July 21st, 2011
12:51 pm
I own you Munson
snakedawg
July 21st, 2011
1:02 pm
We all really know how this is going to pan out don’t we? He will be haunted with this groin injury and he will not get healthy until the season is lost.
Down South Dawg
July 21st, 2011
2:04 pm
IF, Thomas brown is “leading anyone by a chain”— then, I see that as good! Hopefully he can lead two around the world of the tailback and teach a few lessons on effective carries and holding onto the ball. He may be more effective at this than anyone else; hopefully!
RedandBlackDAWG
July 21st, 2011
5:56 pm
I would say that the pre-season camp will go a long way in establishing who will be toting the rock for UGA come opening day. I bet there are not two people on here, that even know much about the S and C program and how it has helped the folks on the UGA team. I know, just what I read and not a lot has come out about it. The players interviewed seem to think it is good but mighty hard on them, but the good players are sticking with it, so who knows how much effect it is having on the team.
Experience and maturity will be a factor in UGA’s success this year, but I would not discount, heart, being in shape, and willingness to succeed, either. UGA has holes to fill, and can insert good young men, but experience is gotten on the field. UGA’s season will depend on a lot of youngsters and first year players, gaining that experience quickly.
Having said all that, I don’t think the Malcome of the past, will be any indication of the Malcome in the games this year. I think the same goes for Samuel. Crowell is young and will learn but there is no doubting his athletic skills.
Let the games begin.
Black Mountain Bulldog
July 21st, 2011
7:40 pm
So The Kid threw up.
I threw up running during combat training.
Hell we all did.
bobby
July 21st, 2011
8:05 pm
malcome i think is the wild card saw highlights of him in high school and he’s really talented. he’s 6 foot 220 pounds and is really aggresive and powerful and is really talented.
GAdawgfan
July 21st, 2011
8:37 pm
i like boo attitude i have high hopes for him. i hope we get our junkyard dog attitude back and show teams that we are great and we know it
not quite yet
July 21st, 2011
10:22 pm
Have we still not learned that excellence in High School football means nothing.
Up and down the depth chart, we see evidence of this
RedandBlackDAWG
July 22nd, 2011
7:13 am
Not Quite Yet,
It means potential and I don’t know how else, you could recruit if you didn’t look at what they did in High School. You hope that it carries over into the college they play for, but nobody has anyway of knowing until the games begin. This young man, if he can stay healthy and hold onto the ball, has a lot of potential. He is tough, runs fast, and likes the contact. He has the makings of a potentially good RB.