KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Xavier Malone completed a Pikeville (Ky.) school record 43 passes in a 49-14 win over Union Commonwealth (Ky.), accounting for all seven of the Bears’ touchdowns, earning the Nov. 3 nod as NAIA Football Offensive Player of the Week.
Malone produced his fifth game with 400 or more yards passing, throwing for 437 yards on 43-of-57 (75.4 percent). He threw for six touchdowns and added another on the ground.
Through Pikeville’s eight games in 2025, Malone is averaging an NAIA-best 376.4 yards per game, and his 3,011 total passing yards trail only Arjun Lothe, of Indiana Wesleyan, the only two passers in the NAIA with 3,000 or more yards on the season.
Pikeville hosts Kentucky Christian in its final home game of the 2025 season, Saturday, with kickoff slated for 3 p.m. ET.
NAIA Football Players of the Week are announced on Monday afternoons at NAIA.org.
Southern Oregon senior Sydney Perkins of Middleton, Idaho, has been named the NAIA Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week after a standout performance in the pole vault at the Linfield Open on May 2.
Adrianna Rodencal of Concordia (Neb.) has been named the NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week after a record-breaking, title-laden performance at the GPAC Championships on May 2.
Dakota State (S.D.) junior Amelie Steins has been named the Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week after a record-setting performance at the Frontier Multi-Events Championships on April 20.
Lindsey Wilson’s (Ky.) Hannah Reid has been named the Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week after a standout showing at the 2026 Jim Freeman / Clark Wood Open, held April 23–25 in Louisville.