#55

Tavis Malakius

Senior defensive lineman on UNLV's 2022 roster.

DL · UNLV · Sr. · #55

6′2″ · 300 lb · Macon, GA

CFB Index 15 · #261 of 278 interior linemenLow confidenceUNLV 2022 alumnus

The story

4 defensive lineman on UNLV's roster.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to Georgia State in 2016.

His career, year by year

Recruiting

2★

DT recruit

No. 2568 nationally · Signed with Georgia State

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

How it ended

Five seasons at UNLV — his college career is complete.

His career

He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.

2016

Signed with Georgia State2-star out of Windsor Academy

20184 games

Signed with UNLV2-star out of Fort Scott C.C.

Career arc

Recruit

★★

#2568 national

CFB

College

UNLV

2018–2022

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2018–2022

2 coaches

2018–2019

Tony Sanchez

UNLV

2020–2022

Marcus Arroyo

UNLV

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Tony Sanchez → Marcus Arroyo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2022 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2018UNLV4-8HC: Tony Sanchez · Run-heavy

2019UNLV4-8HC: Tony Sanchez · Run-leaning

2020UNLV0-6HC: Marcus Arroyo · Run-leaning

2021UNLV2-10HC: Marcus Arroyo · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2022UNLV5-7HC: Marcus Arroyo · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

15Below cohort / limited sample #261 of 278?

Low confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: tackles for loss (7th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Passes defended#1116 / 2755 · 48th pct

Forced fumbles#58 / 737 · 46th pct

Tackles#1672 / 2755 · 38th pct

QB hurries#1444 / 2755 · 24th pct

Sacks#1454 / 2755 · 24th pct

0.0

Solo tackles#2260 / 2755 · 16th pct

Tackles for loss#2352 / 2755 · 7th pct

0.0

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

2022 season · 9 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.2
Road4g	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-75g	2.4	0.0	0.0	0.0
Weeks 8+4g	2.8	0.0	0.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Dan Mullen

Pass share

41.6%

87 pass / 122 run

Plays / game

69.7

3 games

Team sack rate

9.3%

108 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-leaning.

Awards

Player standing · 2022

Rotational

Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

15 · #261 of 278 interior linemen

Two-star recruit. Now #261 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2022	UNLV	23	7	0.0	1	--	--
2021	UNLV	17	4	0.5	--	--	--
2020	UNLV	20	7	2.5	--	--	--
2019	UNLV	7	3	0.5	--	--	--
2018	UNLV	7	--	0.5	--	--	--
Career		74	21	4.0	1	--	--

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2022 season · 9 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	INT	PD	Note
Wk 2	L 14-20@ California	2	0	—	0
Wk 3	W 58-27vs North Texas	4	0	—	0	Season-high 4 tackles
Wk 4	W 34-24@ Utah State	2	2	—	0
Wk 5	W 31-20vs New Mexico	1	1	—	0
Wk 7	L 7-42vs Air Force	3	0	—	0
Wk 10	L 10-14@ San Diego State	3	1	—	0
Wk 11	L 30-37vs Fresno State	4	1	—	0
Wk 12	L 25-31@ Hawai'i	1	1	—	0
Wk 13	W 27-22vs Nevada	3	1	—	1
Total		23	7	—	1

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Tavis Malakius

2016

20184 games

2022 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Rotational

Career stats

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Two-Gap Base

Players who play like Tavis Malakius