Gunner Maldonado
American football player (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gunner Maldonado (born June 13, 2001) is an American college football safety for the Kansas State Wildcats. He previously played for the Northwestern Wildcats and the Arizona Wildcats.
| No. 3 – Kansas State Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 13, 2001 Gilbert, Arizona, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 193 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Chandler (Chandler, Arizona) |
| College |
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| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Early life
Maldonado attended Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona, and was rated as a three-star recruit. He committed to play college football for the Northwestern Wildcats over offers from schools such as Arizona, Arizona State, Indiana, and Iowa State.[1]
College career
Northwestern
Maldonado saw limited playing time as a freshman at Northwestern in 2020, appearing in three games and recording one tackle before entering his name into the NCAA transfer portal after the season.[2]
Arizona
Maldonado transferred to play for the Arizona Wildcats.[3] In his first season with the Wildcats in 2021, he tallied 36 tackles, two pass deflections, an interception, and a forced fumble.[4] In 2022, Maldonado totaled 48 tackles, a pass deflection, and three forced fumbles.[5][6] In week eight of the 2023 season, he recorded a team-high ten tackles as he helped the Wildcats to an upset win over Oregon State.[7] During the 2023 Alamo Bowl, Maldonado was named the game's defensive MVP after totaling nine tackles, an interception, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown, as he helped the Wildcats to a win over Oklahoma.[8][9] Maldonado finished the season with 81 tackles, a pass deflection, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and a touchdown.[10][11]
On December 10, 2024, Maldonado announced that he would enter the transfer portal for the second time.[12]
Kansas State
On December 23, 2024, Maldonado announced that he would transfer to Kansas State.[13]