Malik Verdon: DB · Iowa State · #7.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Malik Verdon
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Three seasons in the Iowa State secondary to date. The first one came in 2024: All-Big 12. A game that shows it: 13 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Iowa — Week 2, 2024.
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
75 tackles. 5 passes defended. 1 interception. 3.5 TFL.
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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
FOX61 Oct 28
The Des Moines Register Oct 23
Arizona Daily Star Oct 22
Wide Right & Natty Lite Oct 16Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Iowa State | 75 | 34 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 5 | 1 |
| 2023 | Iowa State | 47 | 26 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 2 |
| 2022 | Iowa State | 11 | 7 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 133 | 67 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 10 | 3 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 21-3vs North Dakota | 9 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 20-19@ No. 21 Iowa | 13 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 52-7vs Arkansas State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 20-0@ Houston | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 43-21vs Baylor | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | W 28-16@ West Virginia | 10 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 38-35vs UCF | 11 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 22-23vs Texas Tech | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 | |
| Wk 11 | L 36-45vs Kansas | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 34-17vs Cincinnati | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 31-28@ Utah | 12 | 5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 15 | L 19-45vs No. 12 Arizona State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | 34 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 5 |
Week 2 · 2024
W 20-19
at Iowa
1 tackle for loss · 13 tackles · 1 pass breakup
A close one, won by 1 on the road.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
7%5 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
75tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%4 TFL75 tackles · 3.5 for loss · 1 sack · 5 pass breakups · 1 interception.
3 seasons under Matt Campbell — 22-17 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 5.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Road4g | 9.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 5.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
48.0%
470 pass / 509 run
Plays / game
69.9
14 games
Team sack rate
3.3%
492 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2024
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #88 at the position.
How it ended
Three seasons at Iowa State, 133 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG 12 · 2ND TEAM
All-Big 12 2nd team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2021–2024
1 coachPlayed every college season under Matt Campbell.
