Last confirmed: Penn State, 2016. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′0″ · Hartford, CT · Cheshire Academy
Malik Golden: S · Penn State · #6.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Malik Golden
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. This is his second year in the same secondary at Penn State. On tape: 11 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Michigan, Week 4, 2016.
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. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 6 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 him by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Penn State | 75 | 48 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2015 | Penn State | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Career | 75 | 48 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2016 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-13vs Kent State | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 2 | L 39-42@ Pittsburgh | 6 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 34-27vs Temple | 9 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 10-49@ No. 4 Michigan | 11 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 38-14vs Maryland | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 24-21vs No. 2 Ohio State | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 62-24@ Purdue | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 41-14vs Iowa | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 45-31@ Indiana | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 39-0@ Rutgers | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 45-12vs Michigan State | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 38-31vs No. 6 Wisconsin | 6 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | L 49-52vs No. 9 USC | 7 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | 48 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
4%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
75tackles this seasonTFL rate
8%6 TFL75 tackles · 6 for loss · 3 pass breakups · 1 interception.
2 seasons under James Franklin — 18-9 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2016 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Road5g | 6.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Weeks 8+7g | 4.7 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
James Franklin
Pass share
42.6%
390 pass / 525 run
Plays / game
65.4
14 games
Team sack rate
5.6%
427 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2016
75 tackles in 13 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
How it ended
Two seasons at Penn State, 75 tackles — his college career is complete.
His career
Coaching lineage · 2012–2016
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Bill O'Brien → James Franklin. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
