Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-10vs Southeast Missouri State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 13-16@ Iowa | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#98
Malaki Ta'ase
Junior defensive end on Iowa State's 2026 roster.
6′2″ · 265 lb · Mesa, AZ · Mountain View
CFB Index 49 · #219 of 420 edge rushersMedium confidenceTransferred Washington State → Iowa 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
0
sacks · 2026
6 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 tackles, at Iowa
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive end on Iowa State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to New Mexico State in 2024.
- Transferred from Washington State to Iowa State in 2026.
Malaki Ta'ase
Bull-rushes through contact at the point of attack. Malaki Ta'ase has played for two head coaches across three seasons and three programs. 2024 brought the first one: All-Conference USA. One game to point at: 3 tackles against Iowa — Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
202412 games
- Signed with New Mexico State3-star out of Mountain View
- All-Conference USA
202511 games
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE USA
All-Conference USA mention (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Iowa State
2026era →
Jimmy Rogers
Iowa State
Coaching transition mid-career: Matt Campbell → Jimmy Rogers. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Iowa State
2025Washington State
2026Iowa State
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024New Mexico State3-9HC: Tony Sanchez · Run-heavy
2025Washington State7-6HC: Jimmy Rogers · Balanced
2026Iowa State1-1HC: Jimmy Rogers · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
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: 3.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jimmy Rogers
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
49 · #219 of 420 edge rushers
Three-star recruit. Now #219 at the position.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Iowa State | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Washington State | 17 | 9 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | New Mexico State | 33 | 18 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| Career | 56 | 29 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 4 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 38–10
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Bull-rushes through contact, winning with size and length at the point of attack.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Power Rusher
Bull-rushes through contact, winning with size and length at the point of attack.
EDGE
His 2025 production profile sits closest to T.J. Parker’s 2025 season.
80%match
NFL Rd 2 · Pk 3
Matches T.J. on
TFL rate
Sack rate
Pressure-to-sack conversion
Differs from T.J. on
Class year (lower)
Height (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Gabriel Murphy's sophomore season at North Texas (2021).
80%match
Matches Gabriel on
Sack rate
Weight
Hurry rate
Differs from Gabriel on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Malaki Ta'ase
Background
Awards & Honors All-CUSA Freshman Team (2024) CFB Network Conference USA Newcomer of the Year (2024) CFB Network Conference USA Impact Freshman of the Year (2024) CFB Network Conference USA Defensive Newcomer of the Year (2024) Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (S26) 2025 (at Washington State) Saw...
The defensive line · Iowa State
- #88Isaac Terrell12 tackles for loss · 2025
- #98Malaki Ta'ase4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #99Bryson Lamb3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #55Jace J. Gilbert3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #93Jack Janikowski3 tackles for loss · 2025
16 more on the roster · Iowa State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology