Gunner Maldonado

Senior safety for Kansas State. 2025: 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 39 tackles.

S · Kansas State · Sr. · #3

5′11″ · 193 lb · Chandler, AZ

CFB Index 50 · #275 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to Kansas State for 2026

The numbers

interceptions · 2025

2 PBU · 39 tackles · 1 TFL

Best game: 1 INT, 2 PBU, 3 tackles, vs UCF

The play that turned itSwung Arizona from 9% to 55% to win.Arizona at Oklahoma · 38-24

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 safety for Kansas State. 2025: 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 39 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Chandler in 2020.
Transferred from Arizona to Kansas State in 2025.

His career, year by year

How he plays

Moves between deep coverage and the slot.

Solo tackles: 80th percentile.

The full scouting read

Gunner Maldonado

S · Kansas State · Sr · #3

Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Four head coaches in six seasons, at three different programs. The receipt: 7 tackles, 1 TFL against Oklahoma State — Week 12, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Northwestern7-2HC: Pat Fitzgerald · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2021Arizona1-11HC: Jedd Fisch · Balanced

2022Arizona5-7HC: Jedd Fisch · Pass-leaning

2023Arizona10-3HC: Jedd Fisch · Balanced

2024Arizona4-8HC: Brent Brennan · Pass-leaning

2025Kansas State6-6HC: Chris Klieman · Run-leaning, slow tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

50Rotational starter #275 of 544?

Medium confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (80th percentile). Concern: sacks (24th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Solo tackles#559 / 2975 · 80th pct

Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct

Tackles#937 / 2975 · 68th pct

Passes defended#777 / 2975 · 67th pct

QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct

Tackles for loss#1936 / 2975 · 28th pct

1.0

Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct

0.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.3
Road5g	3.6	0.2	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	2.3	0.0	0.0	0.3
Weeks 8+5g	4.6	0.2	0.0	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Collin Klein

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

50 · #275 of 544 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #275 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-Big 12

Based on 2025: #21 of 40 Big 12 Ss

How the All-Big 12 estimate is computed

15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Kansas State	39	29	1.0	2	2	--
2024	Arizona	10	7	1.0	--	1	--
2023	Arizona	79	56	1.0	1	2	--
2022	Arizona	47	26	1.5	1	--	--
2021	Arizona	35	23	0.5	3	1	--
2020	Northwestern	1	--	0.0	--	--	--
Career		211	141	5.0	7	6	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2025

W 38–35

vs North Dakota

1 SOLO · 1 TOT

Edged out North Dakota at home in a shootout.

With A. Johnson — 318 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 58.1 · 43 rush yds (7 car) · S. McClannan — 41 AVG · 43 LONG · 4 NO

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 21-24vs Iowa State	1	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 1	W 38-35vs North Dakota	1	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	L 21-24vs Army	2	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 17-23@ Arizona	2	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	W 34-20vs UCF	3	2	0.0	1	2
Wk 6	L 34-35@ Baylor	3	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	W 41-28vs TCU	4	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 42-17@ Kansas	5	3	0.0	1	0
Wk 10	L 20-43vs Texas Tech	4	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 14-6@ Oklahoma State	7	5	1.0	—	0	Season-high 7 tackles
Wk 13	L 47-51@ Utah	1	0	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	W 24-14vs Colorado	6	5	0.0	—	0
Total		39	29	1.0	2	2

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Gunner Maldonado

2020

20218 games

202512 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Hybrid Nickel

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