A player at multiple NCAA Division II schools, Zach Malpica enters his first season on staff at California (PA) in 2026.
Malpica started his college career by playing three seasons at Edinboro from 2022-24 before transferring to Minot State (ND) last year.
While with the Fighting Scots, Malpica played for current California defensive line coach Tony Papley, who served as the defensive coordinator at Edinboro. He was limited to five games as a freshman in 2022 due to injury before recording 50 tackles in each of the next two seasons. As a junior, Malpica led the team and ranked among the top 10 in the PSAC with 12.0 TFL and 5.0 sacks after converting from linebacker to defensive line. He also helped Edinboro earn a win over FCS member Robert Morris and post its first home victory over IUP in two decades.
Malpica played the 2025 season as a defensive lineman with the Beavers in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). He finished the year with 35 tackles (24 solo) while playing all 11 games, including two games against nationally-ranked programs.
A native of The Sunshine State, Malpica was a decorated player at the scholastic level while playing at Ida S. Baker in Cape Coral, Florida.
