Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 17-28@ Eastern Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#12
Malikai Nichols
Sophomore cornerback on Sacramento State's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 167 lb · Baltimore, MD
Returning to Sacramento State for 2026
The story
2 cornerback on Sacramento State's 2026 roster.
The record fills in as he plays.
His career, year by yearMalikai Nichols
The receipt: 1 tackles against Eastern Michigan — Week 1, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Sacramento State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026Sacramento State1-2HC: Alonzo Carter · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 1.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Alonzo Carter
Pass share
54.4%
106 pass / 89 run
Plays / game
65.0
3 games
Team sack rate
1.7%
118 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sacramento State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Sacramento State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Cornerback · Sacramento State
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +4 net (26 in / 22 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Sacramento State · Last season: 7-5 · Talent rank #114 · 2026 recruiting class #125
The secondary · Sacramento State
- #1Boogsie Silvera5 tackles · 2025
- #2Dionte Thornton3 games · 2026
- #21Dejuan Butler1 game · 2025
- #22Elias Mullican2 games · 2026
- #12Malikai Nichols1 game · 2026
25 more on the roster · Sacramento State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology