Brandon Cleveland: DT · NC State · #44.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Brandon Cleveland
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Four seasons in the NC State defensive front to date. On tape: 6 tackles against Pittsburgh, Week 9, 2025.
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
36 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 7 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-17vs East Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-31vs Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 33-45@ Duke | 5 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 5 | L 21-23vs Virginia Tech | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 56-10vs Campbell | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 7-36@ No. 16 Notre Dame | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 34-53@ Pittsburgh | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 10 | W 48-36vs No. 8 Georgia Tech | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 7-41@ No. 16 Miami | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 21-11vs Florida State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 42-19vs North Carolina | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | W 31-7vs Memphis | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 12 | 7.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
19%7 TFLSack rate
6%2 sacksHurry rate
8%3 hurries36 tackles · 7 for loss · 2 sacks.
4 seasons under Dave Doeren — 31-21 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 4.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 3.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dave Doeren
Pass share
49.7%
411 pass / 416 run
Plays / game
63.6
13 games
Team sack rate
4.7%
422 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2025
36 tackles in 12 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #44 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at NC State, 105 tackles — drafted at #229 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2025
1 coachPlayed every college season under Dave Doeren.
Next stop · NFL
Las Vegas Raiders2026 NFL rookie season
Las Vegas Raiders2026 NFL rookie season
