Gunner Maldonado
Gunner Maldonado
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Three head coaches in five seasons, at two different programs. The receipt: 7 tackles, 1 TFL against Oklahoma State — Week 12, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Chris Klieman.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Collin Klein
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kansas State | 39 | 29 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Arizona | 10 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Arizona | 79 | 56 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | -- |
| 2022 | Arizona | 47 | 26 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Arizona | 35 | 23 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 210 | 141 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 6 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2025
W 38–35
vs North Dakota
1 SOLO · 1 TOT
Edged out North Dakota at home in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Kansas State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Kansas State
Returning around him
- 2 Kansas State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -7 net (26 in / 33 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kansas State · Last season: 6-6 (AP #17) · Talent rank #47 · 2026 recruiting class #50
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Phalen Sanford’s 2023 season.
Matches Phalen on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.