Arizona · W 34-26
No tackles.
Esquerra has tackles in 7 of Texas Tech’s 8 games: none against Arizona.
“Esquerra doing his best to keep tech in this”
Malik Esquerra
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Third year in the Texas Tech secondary. On tape: 8 tackles against Houston, Week 3, 2026.
39 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans first named Malik Esquerra vs Houston.
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| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas Tech | 39 | 31 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | Texas Tech | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Texas Tech | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 49 | 37 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-10vs Abilene Christian | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-24@ Oregon State | 8 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 28-26vs No. 22 Houston | 8 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 49-14vs Sam Houston | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 29-7@ Colorado | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 53-25vs Arizona State | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-37@ Cincinnati | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 39 | 31 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 24 · L 24-37 at Cincinnati, play by play
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 2 passes defended in the 7 games with play by play.
How Texas Tech’s defense played that day
Cincinnati’s 13 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 6 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 6.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception on 3rd and 12 ended Colorado’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 3rd and 12. Third quarter, down 7-6. Ended Colorado’s drive (int).
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 9 for him; the box score credits 8.
4 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 5 · 2026
W 29-7
at Colorado
1 interception · 6 tackles · 5 solo tackles
Dominant 22-point win on the road against Colorado.
Ratings of the games shown run from -18 to +13 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
5%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
39tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL39 tackles · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
3 seasons under Joey McGuire — 27-8 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 6.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joey McGuire
Pass share
43.2%
236 pass / 310 run
Plays / game
68.2
8 games
Team sack rate
4.2%
260 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
39 tackles in 7 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #127 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Joey McGuire.
