Malaki Ta’ase has a lot on his plate this fall, and football is only part of it.
The Iowa State defensive end is in his third season of college football after transferring from Washington State, but the biggest change in his life has nothing to do with camp reps or depth charts. Ta’ase and his wife McKinley welcomed their daughter Charleston about seven months ago, and fatherhood has reshaped the way he looks at every day.
“I can have a good day or a bad day at football,” Ta’ase said. “I try to make them all good days. But once I go home, and see my baby girl and I see my wife, I think it turns into a good day.”
Ta’ase, who is 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, arrived at Iowa State after starting his college career at New Mexico State in 2024. That first season earned him All-Conference USA freshman team honors after he finished with 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
His path to this point runs through a Chick-fil-A in New Mexico, where McKinley worked while Ta’ase had “free swipes” as a football player. He said the food kept him around, but McKinley is what made the place matter.
“Chick-fil-A quickly turned into my favorite restaurant,” he said with a smile and laugh. “So, you know, I asked her what her name was, and we were friendly.
Talking. One thing I wish I would have done - I wish I would have asked [her] on the date first.
But she asked me the date. So, she caught me first, and ever since then, we fell in love.”
The two were married in April 2025, and not long after that, Charleston arrived.
“The biggest light in my life,” Ta’ase said.
Family has always been part of Ta’ase’s story. He is one of 10 children and was born in the eight hole of the batting lineup, with six older sisters ahead of him. He said he never felt the need to battle for attention the way some kids do; he just found his own way to stand out.
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