#17

Malcom DeWalt IV

Senior defensive back for Akron. 2025: 2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, 51 tackles.

DB · Akron · Sr. · #17

6′2″ · 200 lb · Bremerton, WA

CFB Index 74 · #63 of 364 cornersLow confidenceReturning to Akron for 2026

How he plays

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.

Passes defended: 98th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

interceptions · 2025

8 PBU · 51 tackles · 2.5 TFL

Best game: 1 INT, 1 PBU, 4 tackles, vs Duquesne

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 defensive back for Akron. 2025: 2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, 51 tackles.

His career, year by year

Malcom DeWalt IV

DB · Akron · Sr · #17

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Second year in the Akron secondary, same address the whole way. The receipt on tape: 7 tackles against Central Michigan, Week 6, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
seasons on the roster
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2 seasons under Joe Moorhead — 9-15 over that span.

2024Akron4-8HC: Joe Moorhead · Pass-leaning

2025Akron5-7HC: Joe Moorhead · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

74Quality starter #63 of 364?

Low confidenceBreakout8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (98th percentile). Strength: forced fumbles (97th percentile). Concern: sacks (24th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Passes defended#45 / 2975 · 98th pct

Forced fumbles#8 / 687 · 97th pct

Solo tackles#386 / 2975 · 87th pct

Tackles#579 / 2975 · 80th pct

Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct

Tackles for loss#1222 / 2975 · 56th pct

2.5

QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct

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 · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	4.8	0.1	0.0	1.2
Road6g	4.5	0.3	0.0	0.3

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	4.9	0.3	0.0	1.0
Weeks 8+4g	4.2	0.1	0.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Joe Moorhead

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

74 · #63 of 364 corners

Unranked recruit. Now #63 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix for All-MAC

Based on 2025: #6 of 40 Mid-American DBs

How the All-MAC estimate is computed

35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. 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	Akron	51	34	2.5	8	2	1
2024	Akron	7	3	0.0	3	--	--
Career		58	37	2.5	11	2	1

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2025

W 51–7

vs Duquesne

4 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 PD

Dominant 44-point win at home against Duquesne.

With B. Finley — 219 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 22.7 · 13 rush yds (2 car) · J. Gant — 161 rush yds (13 car) · 3 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 0-10vs Wyoming	5	2	0.0	—	2
Wk 2	L 0-68@ Nebraska	5	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 28-31@ UAB	7	5	2.0	—	1	Season-high 7 tackles
Wk 4	W 51-7vs Duquesne	4	3	0.0	1	1
Wk 5	L 3-45@ Toledo	3	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	W 28-22vs Central Michigan	7	3	0.0	—	1
Wk 7	L 7-20vs Miami (OH)	3	3	0.0	—	2
Wk 8	L 28-42@ Ball State	2	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 24-16@ Buffalo	4	3	0.0	1	0
Wk 12	L 35-42vs Kent State	5	4	0.5	—	0
Wk 13	W 19-16@ Bowling Green	6	4	0.0	—	1
Total		51	34	2.5	2	8

How he plays

Play style

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

11 games

51Tackles

34Solo

2.5TFL

0Sacks

8Pass def.

2INT

51 tackles. 8 passes defended. 2 interceptions. 2.5 TFL.

Week 12 PD
Week 31 PD
Week 41 PD · 1 INT
Week 61 PD
Week 72 PD
Week 91 INT
Week 131 PD

Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.

2026 Outlook

Akron

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive back · Akron

Returning around him

Transfer portal: -3 net (15 in / 18 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Akron · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #121 · 2026 recruiting class #132

DNA match

Player DNA

Rover

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Hugh Nelson’s 2022 season.

Hugh Nelson

87%match

Hawai'i · 2022

Julian Neal

Arkansas · 2025

NFL Rd 3 · Pk 35

85%

T.J. Tampa

Iowa State · 2023

NFL Rd 4

83%

Domani Jackson

Alabama · 2024

NFL Rd 6

82%

Rejzohn Wright

Oregon State · 2021

NFL Rd 3 · Pk 36

80%

Matches Hugh on

Tackle volume

Height

PD rate

Differs from Hugh on

Class year (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Hugh Nelson's sophomore season at Hawai'i (2022).

Hugh Nelson

92%match

Hawai'i · 2022

Lance Boykin

Coastal Carolina · 2022

All-Sun Belt

86%

Rejzohn Wright

Oregon State · 2021

NFL Rd 3 · Pk 36

84%

Nick Grant

Virginia · 2021

83%

Derrek Pitts Jr.

NC State · 2021

81%

Matches Hugh on

Class year

TFL rate

Weight

Player DNA

Players who play like Malcom DeWalt IV

Julian Neal

Arkansas · 2025

85%

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