By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Pittsburgh sophomore transfer tight end Malachi Thomas arrived in Baton Rouge early last Sunday on his visit to LSU.
And it didn’t take long for Thomas (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) to realize he wanted to play for the Tigers and new coach Lane Kiffin, so he canceled scheduled visits to Florida, Ole Miss and Auburn.
“I didn’t even go on those visits because I was like, ‘Nah, I want to be a Tiger,’” Thomas, who soon signed as the No. 34 tight end in the Transfer Portal and No. 502 overall prospect by 247sports.com, told Tiger Rag.
Thomas’ trip to LSU started with a meeting with new tight end coach Joe Cox, who was one of six Ole Miss offensive coaches to follow Kiffin to LSU last month. The two saw eye-to-eye right off the bat.
“Coach Cox was cool. I created a little bond with coach,” Thomas said. “I really think about my position coach as like a big part of my recruitment. He was a cool guy and someone I was comfortable with.”
Thomas didn’t only enjoy Cox’s company, though. The two sat and broke down Kiffin’s offense, which has been on top of the NCAA statistics since Kiffin’s arrival in Oxford in 2020.
“We talked ball for like three hours straight,” Thomas said. “We broke down film of how I could be used in different ways. It was really nice. I like how they get the ball in space with the tight ends. I feel like I make my magic there – break two or three tackles, and I’m gone. So, I was like, ‘Okay, cool. That’s where I thrive.’ I can win one-on-one, contested catches, too, so I’m like, ‘I’m going to love this.’”
Then Thomas toured the $28 million state of the art LSU football operations building that Kiffin has compared to that of NFL teams. And it was like nothing Thomas had ever seen.
“They showed me the facilities and it was a major upgrade from where I’m coming from,” Thomas said. “I fell in love with the facilities. That’s really just my thing. I love the facilities.”
Thomas found time to play pickleball with Kiffin at the LSU football facility.
“He was really good at pickleball. I’m not going to lie,” Thomas said. “I thought coach Kiffin was a cool dude.”
Thomas will compete with LSU No. 1 tight end Trey’Dez Green (6-7, 240), who caught 33 passes for 433 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. Thomas caught 13 passes for 192 yards and two TDs at Pitt last season.
A three-star prospect at Thomas County Central High in Thomasville, Georgia, Thomas was the No. 74 high school tight end in the country in 2024.
“I’m really excited,” Thomas said.
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