It was a difficult end to the season for the Penn football team, which dropped three of its final four games to fall out of Ivy League title contention. But the Quakers (6–4 overall, 3–4 Ivy) have plenty of reasons for optimism in the future—none bigger than running back Malachi Hosley, who enjoyed a dazzling freshman campaign.
The Georgia native rushed for 723 yards on 121 carries and tallied seven touchdowns to become the Quakers’ first Ivy League Rookie of the Year award winner since receiver Miles Macik C’96 in 1993. Hosley’s most memorable performance came during Homecoming when he powered the Quakers to a 23–8 victory over Cornell with 261 yards rushing and two touchdowns, one of which went for 96 yards—the longest offensive play in the program’s rich history.
Among other accolades, Hosley was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the most outstanding freshman in the FCS. He was also named first team All-Ivy, along with sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson—who had a breakout season catching passes from junior Aidan Sayin, one of the league’s most electric quarterbacks. On the other side of the ball, Joey Slackman became Penn’s first Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year since 2015. —DZ
