Kansas State University Athletics
2022 Football Roster
Knowles, Malik
Jersey Number 4
Malik Knowles
- Position:
- Wide Receiver
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Mansfield, Texas
- High School:
- Lake Ridge
Bio
CAREER HONORS
• 2022 Second Team All-American [all-purpose] (CBS Sports)
• 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team (Coaches)
• 2021 Second Team All-American [kr] (Phil Steele)
• 2021 First Team All-Big 12 [kr/pr] (Coaches)
• 2021 Second Team All-Big 12 [all-purpose] (Associated Press)
• 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 [wr] (Coaches)
• 2021 Honorable Mention Big 12 Spec. Teams Player of the Year (Coaches)
• 2020 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list
• 2019 Honorable Mention Big 12 Offensive FR of the Year (Coaches)
• 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Mississippi State)
CAREER: A dynamic wide receiver and kick returner over his 51-game career that spanned parts of five seasons... Tied for seventh in school history in career touchdown receptions (14), tied for eighth in receiving yards (1,867) and tied for ninth in receptions (127)... Finished his career ranked fifth in school history in all-purpose yards (3,998)... Ended his time at K-State ranked second in school history in career kickoff-return yards (1,691), third in kickoff-return attempts (61), tied for fourth in kickoff-return touchdowns (3) and sixth in kickoff-return average (27.7)... Ended career ranked sixth in Big 12 history in kickoff-return average and tied for seventh in kickoff-return touchdowns... One of just two players in school history (Tyler Lockett) to rank in the top 10 in career receiving yards, kickoff-return yards and all-purpose yards... Finished his career ranked second nationally among active players in kickoff-return touchdowns, fifth in kickoff-return average and 10th in non-offensive touchdowns... Tied for fourth in K-State bowl history with two receiving touchdowns in his career... One of just two players in school history with touchdowns of at least 70 yards on a run (2020 at Baylor and 2022 vs. South Dakota – 75 yards), catch (2020 at Texas – 70 yards) and kickoff return (three times) in a career, joining Brandon Banks (2008-09)... Tied for fourth in school history for touchdown receptions in a bowl game (2).
2022: Played in all 14 games with 11 starts, hauling in 48 receptions for 725 yards and two touchdowns, while he returned 23 kickoffs for 592 yards for a 25.7-yard average... Earned Second Team All-America accolades as an all-purpose player from CBS Sports... An All-Big 12 Second Team honoree as a wide receiver from the league’s coaches... Finished the year ranked 12th nationally and tops in the Big 12 in kickoff-return average, while he was 16th nationally and second in the league in combined kick return yards... Ranked fifth in the Big 12 in all-purpose yards (1,481), while he was eighth in receiving yards per game (51.79)... His 725 receiving yards were the most by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett in 2014 (1,515)... Totaled three 100-yard receiving games, tied for the fourth most in the Big 12 during the year and the most by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett (8) and Curry Sexton (6) in 2014... Had 108 receiving yards at Iowa State, teaming with Phillip Brooks (119 yards) to give K-State two 100-yard receivers in the same game since 2017 (Central Arkansas) and the first against a Big 12 opponent since 2014 (Kansas)... Also had a career-high 113 yards against Oklahoma State, as he became the first Wildcat wide receiver with multiple 100-yard receiving games against Big 12 opponents since Tyler Lockett had five in 2014... Rushed seven times for 162 yards and three touchdowns on the season... Had two rushing scores against Kansas, the most by a K-State wide receiver since at least 1984... Ran 75 yards for a touchdown on the first offensive play of the 2002, a score that came 10 seconds into the game to stand as the fastest touchdown in school history, while it tied for the 13th-longest rush in school history.
2021: Played in every game with 11 starts at wide receiver in addition to being one of the top kickoff-return men in the nation... Finished second nationally with two kickoff-return touchdowns, while his 33.1-yard average ranked fourth in the country as he earned Second Team All-America honors from Phil Steele... A First Team All-Big 12 kick returner from the league’s coaches, which marked the 15th time in the 26-year existence of the Big 12 – and the eighth time in the last nine years – that a Wildcat was a First Team All-Big 12 returner... Also earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors as an all-purpose player from the Associated Press, was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick by the coaches as a wide receiver and earned votes for Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year accolades... Tied for fourth in school history in kickoff-return touchdowns, while he was fifth in both average and total yards (662)... Capped the season with two receiving touchdowns in K-State’s win over LSU in the Texas Bowl, tied for the third most in K-State bowl history... Totaled a career-high 112 receiving yards against Southern Illinois... Hauled in three passes for 94 yards at Kansas, which included a season-long touchdown catch of 68 yards... Eclipsed 1,000 career receiving yards during the game against the Jayhawks... Returned kickoffs for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, going 99 yards at Oklahoma State and 93 yards against Oklahoma... Both games resulted in over 100 return yards for the contest... Also rushed 15 times for 106 yards on the year thanks in part to a season-high 35 yards in the season opener against Stanford.
2020: A dynamic wide receiver who started nine games and shined over the final two contests... Hauled in 13 receptions for 204 yards and three touchdowns on the season, while he rushed six times for 100 yards and one score... Also returned 11 kickoffs for 203 yards... Finished sixth in the Big 12 in kickoff-return average... Took a jet sweep 75 yards for a touchdown at Baylor, tied for the 11th-longest run in school history and was the second longest by a wide receiver... Set a career high with six catches against Texas, while he tied his career high with a pair of receiving touchdowns... Also scored on a 35-yard reception just before halftime at West Virginia... Named to the watch list for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, which is given to the top collegiate player with Texas ties.
2019: Played in 11 games with eight starts, hauling in 27 receptions for 397 yards and three touchdowns to rank second on the team in each category... Earned votes for Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award from the league’s coaches... Finished third in school history in receiving yards among freshmen, while he was tied for fourth in catches... Hauled in a 70-yard touchdown reception at Texas – the longest by a Wildcat in Big 12 play in two years – as part of a 94-yard receiving day... Set career highs with 99 yards and two touchdowns against Bowling Green... Returned six kickoffs for a 222 yards and a touchdown... Returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 100 yards for a score at Mississippi State en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors... Teamed with Joshua Youngblood to be the first set of freshmen teammates to return kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season since 2016 (Memphis)... Returned a kickoff 52 yards in the 2019 Liberty Bowl, the longest kickoff return in K-State bowl history... Also rushed seven times for 70 yards on the year.
2018: Saw time in four games with a start against Texas Tech but was able to preserve his redshirt... Hauled in 10 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns... His 10 catches were the most by a Wildcat true freshman since Tyler Lockett in 2011... His first-career touchdown was a 21-yarder at TCU, while he hauled in an eight-yarder against Texas Tech... The game against the Red Raiders featured season highs in receptions (5) and yards (56)... Also returned a kickoff for 12 yards at TCU.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Lake Ridge under head coach Kirk Thor... Collected 40 receptions for 846 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior en route to First Team All-District 10-5A accolades... Helped the Eagles advance to the quarterfinals of the 2017 Texas Class 5A D1 state playoffs, including a 113-yard, three-touchdown performance in his final high school game... Also participated in track and field.
PERSONAL: Malik Knowles was born August 17, 2000, in Lynwood, California... Nephew of Moses and Sharia Backus... Has two siblings... Majoring in social sciences.
• 2022 Second Team All-American [all-purpose] (CBS Sports)
• 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team (Coaches)
• 2021 Second Team All-American [kr] (Phil Steele)
• 2021 First Team All-Big 12 [kr/pr] (Coaches)
• 2021 Second Team All-Big 12 [all-purpose] (Associated Press)
• 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 [wr] (Coaches)
• 2021 Honorable Mention Big 12 Spec. Teams Player of the Year (Coaches)
• 2020 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list
• 2019 Honorable Mention Big 12 Offensive FR of the Year (Coaches)
• 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Mississippi State)
CAREER: A dynamic wide receiver and kick returner over his 51-game career that spanned parts of five seasons... Tied for seventh in school history in career touchdown receptions (14), tied for eighth in receiving yards (1,867) and tied for ninth in receptions (127)... Finished his career ranked fifth in school history in all-purpose yards (3,998)... Ended his time at K-State ranked second in school history in career kickoff-return yards (1,691), third in kickoff-return attempts (61), tied for fourth in kickoff-return touchdowns (3) and sixth in kickoff-return average (27.7)... Ended career ranked sixth in Big 12 history in kickoff-return average and tied for seventh in kickoff-return touchdowns... One of just two players in school history (Tyler Lockett) to rank in the top 10 in career receiving yards, kickoff-return yards and all-purpose yards... Finished his career ranked second nationally among active players in kickoff-return touchdowns, fifth in kickoff-return average and 10th in non-offensive touchdowns... Tied for fourth in K-State bowl history with two receiving touchdowns in his career... One of just two players in school history with touchdowns of at least 70 yards on a run (2020 at Baylor and 2022 vs. South Dakota – 75 yards), catch (2020 at Texas – 70 yards) and kickoff return (three times) in a career, joining Brandon Banks (2008-09)... Tied for fourth in school history for touchdown receptions in a bowl game (2).
2022: Played in all 14 games with 11 starts, hauling in 48 receptions for 725 yards and two touchdowns, while he returned 23 kickoffs for 592 yards for a 25.7-yard average... Earned Second Team All-America accolades as an all-purpose player from CBS Sports... An All-Big 12 Second Team honoree as a wide receiver from the league’s coaches... Finished the year ranked 12th nationally and tops in the Big 12 in kickoff-return average, while he was 16th nationally and second in the league in combined kick return yards... Ranked fifth in the Big 12 in all-purpose yards (1,481), while he was eighth in receiving yards per game (51.79)... His 725 receiving yards were the most by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett in 2014 (1,515)... Totaled three 100-yard receiving games, tied for the fourth most in the Big 12 during the year and the most by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett (8) and Curry Sexton (6) in 2014... Had 108 receiving yards at Iowa State, teaming with Phillip Brooks (119 yards) to give K-State two 100-yard receivers in the same game since 2017 (Central Arkansas) and the first against a Big 12 opponent since 2014 (Kansas)... Also had a career-high 113 yards against Oklahoma State, as he became the first Wildcat wide receiver with multiple 100-yard receiving games against Big 12 opponents since Tyler Lockett had five in 2014... Rushed seven times for 162 yards and three touchdowns on the season... Had two rushing scores against Kansas, the most by a K-State wide receiver since at least 1984... Ran 75 yards for a touchdown on the first offensive play of the 2002, a score that came 10 seconds into the game to stand as the fastest touchdown in school history, while it tied for the 13th-longest rush in school history.
2021: Played in every game with 11 starts at wide receiver in addition to being one of the top kickoff-return men in the nation... Finished second nationally with two kickoff-return touchdowns, while his 33.1-yard average ranked fourth in the country as he earned Second Team All-America honors from Phil Steele... A First Team All-Big 12 kick returner from the league’s coaches, which marked the 15th time in the 26-year existence of the Big 12 – and the eighth time in the last nine years – that a Wildcat was a First Team All-Big 12 returner... Also earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors as an all-purpose player from the Associated Press, was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick by the coaches as a wide receiver and earned votes for Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year accolades... Tied for fourth in school history in kickoff-return touchdowns, while he was fifth in both average and total yards (662)... Capped the season with two receiving touchdowns in K-State’s win over LSU in the Texas Bowl, tied for the third most in K-State bowl history... Totaled a career-high 112 receiving yards against Southern Illinois... Hauled in three passes for 94 yards at Kansas, which included a season-long touchdown catch of 68 yards... Eclipsed 1,000 career receiving yards during the game against the Jayhawks... Returned kickoffs for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, going 99 yards at Oklahoma State and 93 yards against Oklahoma... Both games resulted in over 100 return yards for the contest... Also rushed 15 times for 106 yards on the year thanks in part to a season-high 35 yards in the season opener against Stanford.
2020: A dynamic wide receiver who started nine games and shined over the final two contests... Hauled in 13 receptions for 204 yards and three touchdowns on the season, while he rushed six times for 100 yards and one score... Also returned 11 kickoffs for 203 yards... Finished sixth in the Big 12 in kickoff-return average... Took a jet sweep 75 yards for a touchdown at Baylor, tied for the 11th-longest run in school history and was the second longest by a wide receiver... Set a career high with six catches against Texas, while he tied his career high with a pair of receiving touchdowns... Also scored on a 35-yard reception just before halftime at West Virginia... Named to the watch list for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, which is given to the top collegiate player with Texas ties.
2019: Played in 11 games with eight starts, hauling in 27 receptions for 397 yards and three touchdowns to rank second on the team in each category... Earned votes for Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award from the league’s coaches... Finished third in school history in receiving yards among freshmen, while he was tied for fourth in catches... Hauled in a 70-yard touchdown reception at Texas – the longest by a Wildcat in Big 12 play in two years – as part of a 94-yard receiving day... Set career highs with 99 yards and two touchdowns against Bowling Green... Returned six kickoffs for a 222 yards and a touchdown... Returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 100 yards for a score at Mississippi State en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors... Teamed with Joshua Youngblood to be the first set of freshmen teammates to return kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season since 2016 (Memphis)... Returned a kickoff 52 yards in the 2019 Liberty Bowl, the longest kickoff return in K-State bowl history... Also rushed seven times for 70 yards on the year.
2018: Saw time in four games with a start against Texas Tech but was able to preserve his redshirt... Hauled in 10 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns... His 10 catches were the most by a Wildcat true freshman since Tyler Lockett in 2011... His first-career touchdown was a 21-yarder at TCU, while he hauled in an eight-yarder against Texas Tech... The game against the Red Raiders featured season highs in receptions (5) and yards (56)... Also returned a kickoff for 12 yards at TCU.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Lake Ridge under head coach Kirk Thor... Collected 40 receptions for 846 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior en route to First Team All-District 10-5A accolades... Helped the Eagles advance to the quarterfinals of the 2017 Texas Class 5A D1 state playoffs, including a 113-yard, three-touchdown performance in his final high school game... Also participated in track and field.
PERSONAL: Malik Knowles was born August 17, 2000, in Lynwood, California... Nephew of Moses and Sharia Backus... Has two siblings... Majoring in social sciences.
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