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“I’ll be honest with you, there’s no similarities... When you play tackle, there’s so much space, you’re on an island.”
Offensive tackles are left on an island. Centers are stuck in a phone booth.
At least that’s how New Mexico’s fifth-year senior Malik Aliane describes the difference between the two positions. After playing 10 games at left tackle in 2025, the France native has found himself in a similar position in 2026.
Aliane, whose primary position is left guard, has taken over for fourth-year senior Kaden Robnett at center, who’s started the last 21 games at the position for UNM dating back to last season.
The 2025 Second-Team All-Mountain West selectee suffered a season-ending lower-body injury during the first quarter of UNM’s victory over San José State. Aliane, who was named to the 2026 Preseason All-Mountain West team, has bounced around the offensive line since his days at New Mexico Military Institute.
Aliane primarily played at guard with two starts at center for the Broncos in 2023. Aliane transferred to UNM in 2024, where he started two games at center and 10 games at guard. Aliane’s 10 starts at left tackle in 2025 under current head coach Jason Eck weren’t by design.
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“I was kinda struggling on the depth chart,” Aliane admitted. “So I just saw the first opportunity and was like, ‘Yo coach, there’s a lot of [injured] players, can I take a couple snaps at tackle just to see what it's like?’”
When given the opportunity, Aliane initially started out at right tackle, but flipped to left tackle after UNM experienced turmoil at the position during fall camp before its season opener in Ann Arbor against Michigan. Now, Aliane is operating from a different position once again, and it’s much more complex than what he experienced at left tackle last season.
“I’ll be honest with you, there’s no similarities,” Aliane said when asked if there are similarities between switching to center and tackle from guard. “When you play tackle, there’s so much space, you’re on an island. At center, it’s like you’re in a phone booth. The communication aspect — the whole [offensive line] depends on you. You [have to] talk left to right and right to left. It’s not like you’re just talking to the right guard or right tackle; you [have to] communicate across the [offensive] line.
Aliane didn’t practice at center through all of fall camp. Why did Eck choose Aliane in the middle of the game to step in at center despite not taking a snap at that position since 2024?
“He’s very smart; he knows the whole scheme,” Eck said of Aliane’s move to center. “You’re trying to get your best guys on the field, and I thought that was probably the best way to accomplish that. Malik likes center…I think he has some interest in playing [center] for opportunities in the next level as well. I think some of the scouts are interested in that.”
“I don’t want to be too cocky or anything, but I [have] a high IQ,” Aliane laughed. “I was basically a second center; you can ask Kaden… he didn’t have to tell me the calls. I could make the calls myself and relay [them] to the left side [of the offensive line].
“I had the mind of a center playing guard.”
Without even being presented with the question, Aliane didn’t hesitate to rave about who’s helped him the most during his transition back to center.
“The one who’s been helping me the most is Kaden,” Aliane said. “Kaden being hurt, being on the sideline, he’s always coming up to me telling me, ‘Hey do this — do this,’ even in meetings; he’s literally my own coach. I got a personal coach in Kaden. That’s the person that’s been helping me the most, to be honest.”
As Eck mentioned during his Monday press conference, NFL scouts are keeping an eye on Aliane and his versatility. The tallest non-offensive tackle in the NFL is Philadelphia Eagles’ Willie Lampkin, who is 5 '11 and just one of many players Aliane, who’s 6 '1, says he models his game after because of the similarities in size and body structure.
“If we’re being honest, you don’t see [much] guards that are 6 '1 in the NFL,” Aliane admitted. “Realistically, I’m more than likely to play center, especially with those big 6’4 [and] 6’5 [defensive tackles]. It makes more sense for me to be in a phone booth with less space where I can play with my leverage.”
Aliane’s versatility is paying dividends for his future beyond college football and during a season where UNM needs it most.
Moving from left tackle to center, New Mexico senior Malik Aliane is embracing a brand-new set of challenges in the trenches. Following an injury to Kaden Robnett, Aliane’s high football IQ and rare versatility are keeping the UNM offense afloat while drawing the attention of NFL scouts looking for undersized interior linemen.