Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 53-20vs Portland State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 10-28@ UCLA | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
#6
Malachi Finau
Senior defensive lineman for San Diego State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 295 lb · Los Angeles, CA · St. John Bosco High
CFB Index 16 · #307 of 330 interior linemenLow confidenceReturning to San Diego State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
1
sack · 2026
1 TFL · 2 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 1 tackles, at UCLA
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman for San Diego State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Hawai'i in 2022.
- Transferred from Hawai'i to San Diego State in 2025.
Malachi Finau
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Timmy Chang and Sean Lewis. One game to point at: 1 tackles, 1 sacks against UCLA — Week 2, 2026.
2 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2022
- Signed with Hawai'i3-star out of St. John Bosco
20259 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023
San Diego State
Coaching transition mid-career: Brady Hoke → Sean Lewis. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Hawai'i5-8HC: Timmy Chang · Pass-heavy
2024Hawai'i5-7HC: Timmy Chang · Pass-leaning
2025San Diego State9-4HC: Sean Lewis · Run-heavy
2026San Diego State1-1HC: Sean Lewis · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Elite: sacks (87th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 2 games: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sean Lewis
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
16 · #307 of 330 interior linemen
Three-star recruit. Now #307 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Pac-12
Based on 2025: #33 of 35 Mountain West DLs — his program moves to the Pac-12 for 2026
How the All-Pac-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. The base rate was measured on players who stayed in the same conference; this estimate is not adjusted for the move to the Pac-12.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | San Diego State | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | San Diego State | 18 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Hawai'i | 19 | 10 | 3.5 | 3.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Hawai'i | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 43 | 16 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 53–20
1 TOT · 1 SOLO
Dominant 33-point win at home against Portland State.
With J. Hawkins — 1 TD · 47 AVG · 100 LONG · J. Denegal — 137 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · 21 rush yds (3 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
San Diego State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · San Diego State
Returning around him
- 1 San Diego State player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +0 net (26 in / 26 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
San Diego State · Last season: 9-4 · Talent rank #89 · 2026 recruiting class #83
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Austin Ertl’s 2023 season.
87%match
Matches Austin on
Height
Weight
Sack rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Davonte Miles's junior season at Bowling Green (2024).
80%match
Matches Davonte on
Class year
Hurry rate
Weight
Differs from Davonte on
Height (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Malachi Finau
The defensive line · San Diego State
- #56August Salvati3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #90Sam Benjamin3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #91Amari Comier2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #18Kai Wallin2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #6Malachi Finau0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
20 more on the roster · San Diego State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology