Football recruiting: 4-star RB Mallory limited to one carry for 'precautionary' reasons

WELLINGTON — Javian Mallory was limited to just one carry Thursday night before being taken out of the game for precautionary reasons.

West Boca’s four-star junior running back had a first-down run against Palm Beach Central on the second play of the game Thursday but did not return. He spent the rest of night on the sidelines with his helmet off and was limited to just some light stretching at halftime.

West Boca led 28-7 before a lightning delay with 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“More of a precautionary,” West Boca coach Dylan Potts said of Mallory not returning. “We’ve got all the faith in the world in our three other backs, so it’s always good to see them get in there and shine like they’re doing.”

West Boca has been working Mallory back into game shape after he missed the first few weeks of fall camp. He had 18 carries for 144 yards and both touchdowns in the Bulls win against Benjamin in the season opener.

With West Boca jumping out to a 14-point lead early in the quarter and having an off week next week, Potts said it made sense to play it safe and give his star running back the rest of the night off.

“We believe we have a long season ahead of us, so we’re thinking long-term with him and keeping the miles off of him early,” Potts said.

Mallory is one of the top running backs in the nation in the 2026 class. His offers include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oregon.

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Highlight reel interception for FAU commit Allen

West Boca cornerback Damon Allen, an FAU commit, had an impressive one-handed interception in the first quarter. With Palm Beach Central driving, Allen made a nice break on an overthrown ball and was able to get one-hand under the ball just before it hit the ground.

UCF commit Waden Charles working out of the slot

UCF commit Waden Charles, ranked No. 41 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100, spent most of Thursday lining up in the slot rather than his tradition outside receiver role. The move could be an effort to get Charles more touches, which is something Broncos coaches said they wanted to do. Charles had a couple catches before the delay and also had one carry.

Nedrick Boldin catches touchdown

Palm Beach Central senior wide receiver Nedrick Boldin caught the lone touchdown pass for the Broncos late in the third quarter. Boldin is committed to Boston College.

Defensive linemen making plays

West Boca junior defensive tackle Xavier Reid had a forced fumble on a third down tackle in the first quarter. The Bulls recovered the fumble, which was their second takeaway of the half. Reid’s offers include Liberty, Marshall and USF.

Palm Beach Central senior edge rushed Bryan Hall had multiple quarterback pressures and had a sack in the second quarter. Hall has a handful of offers including Toledo and Temple.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Football recruiting: 4-star RB Mallory limited to one carry for 'precautionary' reasons