Malik McClain is a wide receiver who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Arizona State.
McClain moves the chains on third down. Played for three head coaches at three programs in five seasons: Mike Norvell, James Franklin and Kenny Dillingham. The first one came in 2021: ACC Rookie Player of the Week. A game that shows it: 159 receiving yards and 7 receptions against Houston — Week 9, 2025.
Play style
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
Money down · 3rd-down role
Catch rate says one thing, EPA says another
6 of 15 caught on third down (40.0%) — EPA/target 0.56 vs 0.14 elsewhere (5 conversions).
Catch rate is disclosed context only, never the gate — conversions and EPA/target are. Interception targets carry no attribution row at any source, so EPA/target here is unfixably, slightly inflated.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
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| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Arizona State | 31 | 441 | 14.2 | 1 | 36 |
| 2024 | Arizona State | 2 | 85 | 42.5 | 1 | 43 |
| 2023 | Penn State | 6 | 71 | 11.8 | 1 | 25 |
| 2022 | Florida State | 17 | 206 | 12.1 | 3 | 44 |
| 2021 | Florida State | 16 | 190 | 11.9 | 2 | 51 |
| Career | 72 | 993 | 13.8 | 8 | 51 |
| Season | Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Arizona State | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Arizona State | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Penn State | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Florida State | 1 | 6 |
| 2021 | Florida State | -- | -- |
| Career | 1 | 6 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 11 games
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| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-19vs Northern Arizona | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wk 3 | W 34-15vs Texas State | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 4 | W 27-24@ Baylor | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Wk 5 | W 27-24vs No. 24 TCU | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 7 | L 10-42@ Utah | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 9 | L 16-24vs Houston | 7 | 159 | 22.7 | 0 | 36 | Season-high 159 yds |
| Wk 10 | W 24-19@ Iowa State | 2 | 49 | 24.5 | 0 | 28 | |
| Wk 12 | W 25-23vs West Virginia | 2 | 37 | 18.5 | 0 | 24 | |
| Wk 13 | W 42-17@ Colorado | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 0 | 25 | |
| Wk 14 | L 7-23vs Arizona | 4 | 57 | 14.3 | 0 | 25 | |
 Bowl | L 39-42vs Duke | 9 | 63 | 7.0 | 1 | 15 | |
| Total | 31 | 441 | 14.2 | 1 | 36 |
Week 9 · 2025
L 16-24
vs Houston
7 rec · 159 yds
With S. Leavitt — 270 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 48.2 · 22 rush yds (6 car) · K. Floyd — 39.3 yards per punt · 4 punts · 1 inside the 20
The plays that mattered most
Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)
Third-down role
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 2.8 | 46.8 | 13.5 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 1.2 | 24.2 | 18.1 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 2.5 | 19.0 | 9.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 3.2 | 65.4 | 21.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kenny Dillingham
Pass share
47.1%
429 pass / 482 run
Plays / game
70.1
13 games
Team sack rate
6.3%
429 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2025
Fewer catches a game than most FBS receivers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #295 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #33 of 55 Big 12 WRs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
Honored in a first season.
The snaps went the other way.
The snaps went the other way.
Coaching lineage · 2021–2025
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Mike Norvell, James Franklin and Kenny Dillingham.
