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A firefighter by day, Ron Veal has also developed a reputation for being a “quarterback whisperer” in the Atlanta area.
The former four-year starting quarterback at Arizona had a brief stint in the CFL, but got back in the game 18 years ago by becoming a personal quarterback coach.
Since then, Veal has famously tutored some of the best quarterbacks in the area — most notably Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields since they were in middle school. More recently, he worked with five-star recruits Harrison Bailey and Brock Vandagriff.
Another quarterback who’s studied under Veal is Malachi Singleton, a 2023 prospect who committed to Arkansas last month. The three-star quarterback has put up huge numbers at North Cobb High in Kennesaw, Ga., the last two years and led the program to back-to-back regional titles in Georgia’s largest classification.
Last season, the 6-foot-1, 217-pound athlete completed 166 of 221 passes (75.1%) for 2,316 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,018 yards and 25 more scores.
Considering Singleton has worked with Veal since he was in sixth grade, HawgBeat thought he’d be a great person to talk to for a closer look at Arkansas’ quarterback in the 2023 class. Here is our Q&A with the quarterback whisperer…
HawgBeat: What kind of quarterback is Arkansas getting in Malachi? What’s the basic scouting report on him?
Veal: A legitimate dual-threat kid who has improved on his passing to the tune of 75 percent this past year. Very smart with the bal. He’ll take chances when needed, but he’s very cautious and understands down and distance and situations.
HawgBeat: You touched on it there, but sometimes you hear about dual-threat quarterbacks who are more “athlete” than true quarterbacks. How would you assess Malachi as a passer?
