Maliek Collins

Honors & Awards
» Nebraska Team Captain (2015)
» Second-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches, AP, 2015)
» Third-Team All-Big Ten (Media, Phil Steele, 2015)
» Lombardi, Outland, Nagurski, Bednarik Watch List (2015)
» Second-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches, 2014)
» Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (Media, 2014)
» Academic All-Big Ten (2014, 2015)
» Nebraska Defensive co-MVP (2014)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring, 2015)
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2015)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2015)

Defensive tackle Maliek Collins emerged as a dominant presence on the Nebraska defensive line during both the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The Kansas City product was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten selection before he chose to bypass his senior season of eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft.

Collins was a powerful run-stopper, while showing the athleticism to harass opposing passers as well. Collins finished his three-year career with eight sacks and 23 tackles for loss along with 19 quarterback hurries. During his junior season, Collins’ play helped Nebraska rank ninth nationally in rushing defense, allowing less than 110 yards per game.

Collins was well respected by his teammates as evidenced by his election as one of six captains for the 2015 season. He was also successful off the field, twice being named an Academic All-Big Ten pick, while earning a spot on the 2015 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team.

2015 (Junior)
Collins played in every game in 2015 and made 12 starts as the anchor of a strong defensive line. Despite facing two or more blockers much of the time, Collins made 29 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also had six quarterback hurries on the year.

Collins had three or more tackles four times during the season. His best game came in the Big Ten opener at Illinois when Collins had a career-high nine tackles, including three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He had four solo stops at Miami, with three tackles each against Wisconsin and Purdue. Collins had a 10-yard sack at Rutgers and closed the year with two quarterback hurries in the Foster Farms Bowl victory over UCLA.

2014 (Sophomore)
Collins started every game and led the Huskers in tackles for loss with 14, while ranking second on the team with 4.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hurries. Collins totaled 45 tackles, including 17 solo stops. Collins made 12 of his 14 TFL in Big Ten play or the bowl game and posted five or more tackles four times in the final six games. 

Collins had a season-high seven tackles against both Rutgers and Iowa. He also had three quarterback hurries each in back-to-back weeks against Rutgers and Purdue and closed the year with five tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss against USC in the Holiday Bowl.

Collins had four tackles, two tackles for loss and two hurries against Miami to close non-conference play. After his seven-tackle effort against Rutgers, Collins had five tackles, a nine-yard sack and three hurries against Purdue. He had a sack and two tackles for loss in the regular-season finale at Iowa.

2013 (Freshman)
Collins played in 12 games with a start against Georgia in the Gator Bowl. He had 12 tackles with all of his stops coming in either the first three games or the final four games.

Collins registered NU’s first sack of the season for 10 yards against Southern Miss. He totaled three tackles in that contest. He added a tackle for loss against UCLA. Collins made eight tackles in the final four games, tying his season high with three tackles at Penn State, adding two each vs. Michigan State and Iowa, and then making one stop in the Gator Bowl.

Before Nebraska (Kansas City Center HS)
Collins played both ways for Kansas City Center High School. Collins recorded 102 tackles as a senior including 43 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. His play for Coach Bryan DeLong helped Center High to a 10-4 record and a trip to the quarterfinals of the Missouri Class 3A state playoffs, its deepest playoff run since 2004.

Collins was a first-team Class 3A all-state pick by the Missouri High School Coaches Association. He was also a member of the Kansas City Star’s All-Metro first-team defensive unit.
Collins was a standout performer as a junior in 2011, earning first-team all-conference honors as both an offensive and defensive lineman. Beyond the football field, Collins was a standout wrestler for Center High School. As a senior, he won the Missouri Class 2A state championship with a perfect 48-0 record. Collins reached the quarterfinals at the state meet in the heavyweight class as a junior and posted a 48-5 record.

Collins was ranked among the top 20 prospects in the state of Missouri and one of the top 25 defensive tackles in the country according to Fox Sports Next. He also visited Kansas and Missouri, and had offers from numerous other schools, including Arkansas, Iowa and Iowa State.

Personal
Collins was born on April 8, 1995, and is the son of Janice Davis and the late C.W. Collins. He is majoring in sociology and was named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the spring of 2015. Collins has been active in Nebraska’s community outreach efforts, volunteering his time with Uplifting Athletes, Make-A-Wish, Mad Dads, Madonna Rehabilitation Center and local hospital visits. Collins earned a spot on the Brook Berringer and Tom Osborne Citizenship Teams for his volunteer efforts.

Collins' Career Stats

	.		Tackles			.	.	Fum.	.	.	.	QB
Year	G/S		UT	AT	TT	TFL	Sacks	C-R	BK	PBU	INT	Hry.
2013	12/1		6	6	12	2-10	1.0-10	1-0	0	0	0	0
2014	13/13		17	28	45	14-47	4.5-33	0-0	0	0	0	13
2015	13/12		14	15	29	7-30	2.5-22	0-0	0	1	0	6
Totals	38/26		37	49	86	23-87	8-65	1-0	0	1	0	19

Single-Game Highs
» Tackles–9 at Illinois (2015)
» Tackles for Loss–3 vs. Rutgers (2014), at Illinois (2015)
» Sacks–1.5 at Illinois (2015)