Watch: Walk-On Malachi Ruffin Awarded Full Scholarship to West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.: This week just got a whole lot sweeter for redshirt junior Malachi Ruffin.

His off-the-field accolades include the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll. Now, he’s getting rewarded for his diligence on the field.

The Nashville, NC native joined the Mountaineers in 2018 and immediately redshirted. He saw no game action all of 2019 either, but that never stopped him from showing up to practice and trying to convince head coach Neal Brown that he belonged in a WVU uniform.

In 2020, Ruffin saw the field at cornerback for 75 snaps across 10 games. Of those 75, 65 were on special teams. He also registered four tackles last season, which included three solo stops.

In March 2021, he was voted one of WVU Football’s Athletes of the Week, earning a “Workout Warrior” award from the team.

Brown and the coaching staff rewarded his hard work earlier today by bringing his family in via Zoom and awarding him a full scholarship in front of the entire team.

🚨 SCHOLARSHIP ALERT 🚨

We had a big announcement for @_MRuffin2 this afternoon. No one better to deliver the news than his family!#TrustTheClimb pic.twitter.com/LOGlcsP5M4

— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) August 16, 2021

A moment he’ll never forget pic.twitter.com/JINVuUmhkH

— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) August 16, 2021