When Texas landed a commitment from defensive end Malcolm Roach earlier this month, it caught a lot of people by surprise. Roach wasn’t a player who had been linked with UT recruiting, but it turns out he was actually on the Longhorns’ radar for some time.
“Back in May, coach Brick (Haley) had just got in there. I've known him a long time. He came over to the school, maybe spent about two hours with me,” said Roach’s father, Mike Roach, who is also the head coach at Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep Academy. “School was out, the kids were gone. He and I sat outside the field house, talked for about two hours.
Roach had planned to camp at UT in the summer, but other commitments clogged up his schedule and he was unable to attend. The Texas coaches decided they would wait to watch Roach during his senior year, but when the Longhorns did eventually offer, Roach quickly added his name to the UT commitment list.
“Brick was talking to us during the season. Coach (Charlie) Strong and staff were looking at the tape, they called and said ‘Coach we're ready to pull the trigger (on an offer),’” coach Roach said. “Texas was one of the schools we really wanted to look at, were just waiting for the offer. Coach strong offered, Malcolm said there’s nothing left to say and said 'Dad I'm ready to do it.'”
The 6-4, 255-pound Roach held close to 50 scholarship offers at the time of his commitment. So what was it about Texas that led him to make an instant commitment?
“I think it's coach Strong, the University of Texas. When you think about it, who else is there? You look at all the other schools in the country, Texas is Texas,” coach Roach said. “He had been waiting on it. He said it during the summer - if coach Strong offers, he’s going to really consider Texas. He likes that he's a disciplinarian, is retooling the program. He just wants to go make a name for himself.”
Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi State, Texas Tech and Arizona were among the other schools that received heavy consideration from Roach.
A three-star prospect, Roach recently finished up a productive senior season that followed up a junior year in which he recorded 134 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. He added seven forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three defensive TDs and nine pass breakups.
“He had a heck of a game (in Madison Prep Acadmy’s season finale). That probably was his best football game last Friday. He went into game with about 110 tackles and had to have maybe about 15 and a sack in that game,” coach Roach said. “So he wound up with about 130 tackles and I think he had about 14 sacks on the year. He also had one interception and a bunch of pass deflections.
“I think the biggest compliment I've ever heard paid to my son, a coach said ‘Coach, he’s just a football player.’ He made all state in 10th grade at tight end, caught about 50 passes in his first year playing tight end. He’s just a football player. He can play linebacker, can play d-end, can be a stand-up guy, fullback, tight end. I just like that what was said about him, he’s just a football player.”
With Haley leading Roach’s recruitment, it stands to reason that Roach will play along the defensive line at Texas. Coach Roach thinks his son’s best playing weight is at about 250 pounds, where he can line up on the edge of the defensive line and use his athleticism to make plays in both the run and pass game.
“He’s probably going to eat himself into that eventually. If he's in a 4-3 scheme, he’s going to eat himself into a 9 technique,” coach Roach said.
Despite his productive career and the steady interest from college coaches, Roach has never been a player who needs to see his name in headlines. During his commitment announcement, Roach was quick and to the point in announcing his decision to attend Texas, and his dad said those types of values have helped keep Malcolm grounded.
“Malcolm really handled this. He brother plays at Grambling, so he’s kind of been through the process. We just told him to handle with humility, handle it like a professional,” coach Roach said. “As long as you're above board, truthful with folks, be a man of your word, humble and you’ll go a long way in life.”
