Malik Rutherford

Senior wide receiver for Georgia Tech. 2025: 46 catches, 523 receiving yards, 3 TD.

WR · Georgia Tech · Sr. · #8

5′9″ · 170 lb · Miami, FL

CFB Index 56 · #161 of 485 WRsHigh confidenceReturning to Georgia Tech for 2026

How he plays

Wins underneath on volume and route precision.

Catch rate: 100th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

523

receiving yards · 2025

46 catches · 3 TD · 11.4 per catch

Swing playSwung Georgia Tech from 50% to 73% to win.Georgia Tech at Boston College · 36-34

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 wide receiver for Georgia Tech. 2025: 46 catches, 523 receiving yards, 3 TD.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Georgia Tech in 2021.

His career, year by year

Malik Rutherford

WR · Georgia Tech · Sr · #8

Wins underneath on volume and route precision. Five seasons at Georgia Tech, two different head coaches: Geoff Collins and Brent Key. The receipt: 121 rec yds, 21 rush yds against Boston College — Week 12, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Georgia Tech3-9HC: Geoff Collins · Run-leaning

2022Georgia Tech5-7HC: Brent Key · Balanced

2023Georgia Tech7-6HC: Brent Key · Run-leaning

2024Georgia Tech7-6HC: Brent Key · Run-leaning

2025Georgia Tech9-4HC: Brent Key · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

56Quality starter #161 of 485?

High confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: catch rate (100th percentile). Strength: epa / target (90th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Catch rate#3 / 798 · 100th pct

95.2%

EPA / target#84 / 798 · 90th pct

0.73

TD rate#168 / 798 · 78th pct

4.8%

Explosive rate#416 / 798 · 47th pct

9.5%

Yards / catch#554 / 798 · 31st pct

10.1

Box-score rates (7)

Long catch#83 / 558 · 85th pct

Rush yards#61 / 287 · 79th pct

Receptions#137 / 558 · 75th pct

Rec yards#200 / 558 · 64th pct

523

Rec TDs#205 / 558 · 57th pct

Rush TDs#67 / 287 · 39th pct

Yards / catch#374 / 558 · 33rd pct

11.4

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

45th → 90th percentile

Explosive rate

52nd → 47th percentile

Catch rate

62nd → 100th percentile

TD rate

37th → 78th percentile

Yards / catch

41st → 31st percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)

Third-down role

14%6 of his 42 targets came on third down · Receiver median is 24%

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	4.5	43.5	10.1	0.3
Road5g	3.8	52.4	10.7	0.2

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	4.3	44.1	10.5	0.3
Weeks 8+4g	4.0	53.5	10.1	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Brent Key

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

Splitting first-team reps — starts some weeks, rotates others.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

56 · #161 of 485 WRs

Three-star recruit. Now #161 at the position.

2026 outlook

Outside shot for All-ACC

Based on 2025: #25 of 64 ACC WRs

How the All-ACC 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.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Georgia Tech	46	523	11.4	3	--
2024	Georgia Tech	62	702	11.3	3	--
2023	Georgia Tech	46	502	10.9	4	--
2022	Georgia Tech	23	225	9.8	0	--
2021	Georgia Tech	5	62	12.4	0	--
Career		182	2,014	11.1	10	--

Season	Team
2025	Georgia Tech	7	45	--	--	--
2024	Georgia Tech	9	87	--	--	--
2023	Georgia Tech	3	17	--	--	--
2022	Georgia Tech	1	4	39	--	--
2021	Georgia Tech	--	--	--	--	--
Career		20	153	39	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025

W 24–21

vs Clemson

4 rec · 22 yds

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 at home.

With H. King — 211 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 69.1 · 103 rush yds (25 car) · 1 TD · M. Nichols — 46 AVG · 48 LONG · 2 NO

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 12 · Boston College · 2&8 · Q2 · EPA +6.42(09:55) No Huddle-Shotgun #10 H.King pass complete short left to #8 M.Rutherford caught at GT 26, for 71 yards to the BCE00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 09:44, 1ST DOWN #33 A.Birr kick attempt good (H: #47 M.Nichols, LS: #49 R.Thomas)
Week 7 · Virginia Tech · 3&6 · Q1 · EPA +2.87Haynes King pass complete to Malik Rutherford for 9 yds for a TD (Aidan Birr KICK)
Week 4 · Temple · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.68Haynes King pass complete to Malik Rutherford for 24 yds for a TD
Week 1 · BYU · 2&12 · Q2 · EPA +2.67(00:32) Shotgun #10 H.King pass complete deep middle to #8 M.Rutherford caught at GT39, for 28 yards to the GT43 (#11 F.Satuala), 1ST DOWN
Week 1 · BYU · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.98(04:56) Shotgun #10 H.King pass complete short right to #8 M.Rutherford caught at GT40, for 22 yards to the GT47 (#5 N.Taumoepeau), 1ST DOWN
Week 7 · Virginia Tech · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.93Haynes King pass complete to Malik Rutherford for 14 yds to the GT 39 for a 1ST down
Week 14 · Georgia · 3&5 · Q4 · EPA +1.88(13:03) Shotgun #10 H.King pass complete short left to #8 M.Rutherford caught at GT37, for 9 yards to the GT39, out of bounds at GT39, 1ST DOWN
Week 3 · Clemson · 2&3 · Q1 · EPA -1.77Haynes King pass complete to Malik Rutherford for a loss of 2 yards to the GT 48
Week 5 · Wake Forest · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.71Haynes King pass complete to Malik Rutherford for 19 yds to the GT 44 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · Temple · 2&8 · Q4 · EPA +1.69Malik Rutherford run for 9 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 27-20@ Colorado	—	—	—	—	—
Wk 2	W 59-12vs Gardner-Webb	5	62	12.4	0	26
Wk 3	W 24-21vs Clemson	4	22	5.5	0	9
Wk 4	W 45-24vs Temple	2	33	16.5	1	24
Wk 5	W 30-29@ Wake Forest	5	38	7.6	0	19
Wk 7	W 35-20vs Virginia Tech	6	49	8.2	1	16
Wk 8	W 27-18@ Duke	1	-2	-2.0	0	-2
Wk 12	W 36-34@ Boston College	5	121	24.2	1	71	Season-high 121 yds
Wk 13	L 28-42vs Pittsburgh	6	68	11.3	0	20
Wk 14	L 9-16vs Georgia	4	27	6.8	0	9
Bowl	L 21-25@ BYU	8	105	13.1	0	28
Total		46	523	10.4	3	71

How he plays

Play style

Runs precise routes in tight quarters. Volume player who keeps chains moving.

CFB Index positional classification

2026 Outlook

Georgia Tech

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Wide receiver · Georgia Tech

Returning around him

13% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
2 Georgia Tech players drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -1 net (19 in / 20 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Georgia Tech · Last season: 9-4 (AP #24) · Talent rank #34 · 2026 recruiting class #41

DNA match

Player DNA

Slot Technician

Runs precise routes in tight quarters. Volume player who keeps chains moving.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Raylen Sharpe’s 2025 season.

Raylen Sharpe

82%match

Arkansas · 2025

Myles Price

Indiana · 2024

80%

Yusuf Ali

Middle Tennessee · 2020

79%

Elijah Metcalf

Middle Tennessee · 2023

All-Conference USA

78%

Phillip Brooks III

Kansas State · 2022

78%

Matches Raylen on

Total EPA (college ability)

EPA / play (adj)

Weight

Differs from Raylen on

Recruiting rating (higher)

Through 5 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Max Tomczak’s path through Youngstown State.

Max Tomczak

99%match

Youngstown State · 2025

Ian Duarte

Idaho State · 2025

98%

Jovanni Bermudez

Temple · 2025

97%

Ryan Flournoy

Southeast Missouri State · 2023

NFL Rd 6

96%

Neno Lemay

Nicholls · 2023

94%

Matches Max on

Yards per reception

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Elijah Metcalf's graduate season at Southern Miss (2025).

Elijah Metcalf

80%match

Southern Miss · 2025

All-Conference USA

Cam Ross

Virginia · 2025

All-Sun Belt

75%

Ashtyn Hawkins

Baylor · 2025

74%

TJ Sheffield

UConn · 2024

72%

Ke'Shawn Williams

Indiana · 2024

71%

Matches Elijah on

Total EPA (college ability)

Yards / reception

TD rate

Differs from Elijah on

Recruiting rating (higher)

EPA / play (adj) (higher)

Player DNA

Players who play like Malik Rutherford

Jovanni Bermudez

Temple · 2025

88%

Jarod Bowie

Jacksonville State · 2024

87%

Elijah Metcalf

Middle Tennessee · 2023

82%

Raylen Sharpe

Arkansas · 2025

82%

Dante Wright

Temple · 2023

82%

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

2021

202511 games

2025 snapshot

Situational

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Slot Technician

Players who play like Malik Rutherford