Ohio State Overview: Malcolm Pridgeon played in every game for the Buckeyes during the 2017 and 2018 seasons when the team won back-to-back Big Ten Conference championships and had bowl game victories over No. 8 USC in the 2018 Cotton Bowl and No. 9 Washington in the 2019 Rose Bowl … Pridgeon started all 14 games in 2018 and led all players in snaps from scrimmage with 1,170 … he and the line ranked third in the Big Ten in fewest sacks allowed in 2018, a season in which the offense had a school-record 561 passing attempts … Pridgeon red-shirted the 2016 season with the Buckeyes after injuring a knee in fall camp, and then played in all 14 games in 2017, mostly on special teams … he graduated with his degree in human development and family science in December 2018 … at the time of his signing his national letter of intent with Ohio State in early 2016, he was only the third junior college prospect to sign a national letter of intent with Ohio State in the last 11 years and the second by coach Urban Meyer.
More on Malcolm: Pridgeon played two seasons at Nassau Community College, in Garden City, N.Y., under coach Joe Osovet, after a high school career at Central Islip (N.Y.) High … he was considered the top junior college offensive tackle in the nation by JuCo Football Scouting … he had a 5-star ranking from Scout and 4-star rankings by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports … he was listed as the No. 3 junior college offensive tackle by both 247Sports and ESPN and he was rated among the Top 5 players overall, including No. 4 by Scout, No 5 by 247Sports and No. 5 on the ESPN JC50 … a two-year all-Northeast Football Conference performer at Nassau, Pridgeon was a first-team NJCAA All-American in 2015 … he helped Nassau to a 10-0 season in 2014 with the team finishing sixth nationally and defeating Scottsdale JuCo in the Valley of the Sun Bowl game … he was second team-all New York state as a senior at Central Islip H.S. and was rated as a 4-star prospect … he played for coach Joe Taormina … a fine high school basketball player, as well, and made the 2014 Class AA all state-tournament team … also competed in track and field … Pridgeon is the son of Peggy White and the late James Earl Pridgeon.