University of Houston Athletics
Football Feature: Defining Expectations
10/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
It is almost impossible to imagine Cameron Malveaux as a 6-foot-6 freshman weighing in at just 207 pounds.
The senior defensive end has worked tirelessly to transform himself into a 275-pound defensive powerhouse, both physically and in his actions on the field. He's a physical embodiment of the common saying that hard work pays off.
Malveaux was never a star player on the football team in his young life. In high school, he played both football and basketball and was a standout defender and MVP of two tournaments with his basketball team. With that in mind, the decision to continue to play football in college instead of basketball may have come as a surprise.
"I thought I was going to be playing basketball in college, but my senior year I decided that football would take me further," said Malveaux. "I was a one-dimensional post player, and I knew that I couldn't play basketball in college and compete at a very high level. Football was a better choice, because I thought I had more of a body build for it. Coaches saw me as a big frame, so that's what helped me make the decision."
When Malveaux began his college career at the University of Houston in 2012, he described himself as a "project player" and a "definite redshirt." However, he recognized the potential of his frame and the physical transformation began there.
Malveaux put on 20 pounds at the start of fall football camp that year. Since then, he's added on another 48 pounds of muscle, and he now leads the team as a captain.
"It was a huge jump for me, and I take a lot of pride in the fact that I was able to do that. It was a lot of hard work, eating right and making sure to put on the right weight, not just a lot of fat," Malveaux said.
During football season, Malveaux and his teammates take part in full-body workouts twice a week, led by Director of Football Sports Performance Yancy McKnight.
McKnight spends roughly 45 out of the 52 weeks in the year training with the players and building relationships. He and Malveaux clicked from the beginning because of their similar work ethics.
"His weight gain and his strength levels skyrocketing through the winter and summer was more Cameron's preparation. I always tell our guys that we put the plan in front of you. It's just like taking a horse to water. You can't force it to drink, but Cameron dominates anything we put in front of him," McKnight said. "That's why his body is the way it is. The transformation he's gone through in his career here is because of his work ethic, his attitude and how he approaches things every day."
In 2016, Malveaux was named one of four captains of the football team. His leadership development really kicked off with the hiring of head coach Tom Herman.
"Whenever Coach Herman came in, he put something on my back. My teammates rely on me a lot more as a leader and look to me as a captain now," Malveaux said. "I take that with pride. I'm very honored they would do that for me."
Malveaux knows when he is needed as a vocal leader or a team energizer, but ultimately he is a player who leads by example.
"As a younger player, and overall as a team, these guys know that you never hear Cameron's name attached to the words `you've got to give some effort today' or `why are you late?' You never, ever hear those words. Most of the time it's `why don't you work like Cameron?'" McKnight said. "Watching him develop as a man and a leader all goes back to his work habits and his intensity to making himself as good as he possibly can. That's infectious and guys see that. They respect that."
In the Houston Football program, expectations aren't defined by a weight number or talent. The expectation is Cameron Malveaux.
"He has a tremendous amount of care and pride in the program and what he does," McKnight said. "He's a consistent guy every single day. He doesn't have bad days. He's taking care of his body all of the time like a professional. We can use him as an example for our other players on the team to describe what we want. These are the expectations for everybody."
Written by: Sarah Hoffman, Athletics Communications
