Is Malaki Ta'ase starting?
Malaki Ta'ase is the projected starter at RDE for Iowa State Cyclones.
Junior · #98 · 6'2", 265 lbs
See full Iowa State Cyclones depth chart ›Depth at RDE · Iowa State Cyclones
- 19888Malaki Ta'aseStarter
- 29379Jack Janikowski
- 34466Trey Verdon
Iowa State Starting Lineup
- LDE
- NT
- DT
- RDEMalaki Ta'aseThis player
- WLB
- MLB
- SLB
- LCB
- SS
- FS
- RCB
- RES
Top defensive linemen in the Big 12
The Story
Making His Case
A 3-star recruit out of Mountain View, ranked #2,808 nationally coming out of high school. This season: 17 tackles, 4 TFL, 2.5 sacks. That's 5% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 88 overall (Great tier).
- Jersey
- #98
- Class
- JR/TR
- Height
- 6'2"
- Weight
- 265 lbs
- Transfer
- Washington State
Stats
| Season | Tkl | TFL | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | 17 | 4 | 2.5 |
Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.
Recruiting Profile
- Stars
- ★★★☆☆3-star
- Composite
- 0.8056
- National Rank
- #2808
- High School
- Mountain View
- Hometown
- Mesa, AZ
Why this rating?
On a 82-rated defense; 79th-percentile production at transfer origin (×0.85 for competition level) put them +6 vs unit starters → 88.
2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.
2026 Game Log
Oct 10LBYUTKL 2
- TKL
- 2
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final L 24-10
Oct 3WWVUTKL 1
- TKL
- 1
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 1
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 45-42
Sep 12LIOWATKL 3
- TKL
- 3
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final L 16-13
Sep 5WSEMOTKL 3
- TKL
- 3
- SOLO
- 1
- SACK
- 0
- INT
- 0
- PD
- 0
Final W 38-10
| OPP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10 | LBYU | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3 | WWVU | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 12 | LIOWA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 5 | WSEMO | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Malaki Ta'ase's 2026 game-by-game stat log.
The People's Ratings
Team Role
Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.