#10

Caden Fordham

Senior linebacker for NC State. 2025: 143 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks.

LB · NC State · Sr. · #10

6′1″ · 232 lb · Ponte Vedra, FL

CFB Index 90 · #15 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamReturning to NC State for 2026

How he plays

Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.

Tackles: 100th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

143

tackles · 2025

9.5 TFL · 3.5 sacks · 3 PBU

Best game: 15 tackles, 1 TFL, 0.5 sacks, vs Georgia Tech

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 linebacker for NC State. 2025: 143 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to NC State in 2021.

His career, year by year

Caden Fordham

LB · NC State · Sr · #10

Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. This is his fifth year in the same linebacker corps at NC State. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-ACC. The receipt on tape: 15 tackles against Florida State, Week 13, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
seasons on the roster
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

5 seasons under Dave Doeren — 40-24 over that span.

2021NC State9-3HC: Dave Doeren · Balanced

2022NC State8-5HC: Dave Doeren · Balanced

2023NC State9-4HC: Dave Doeren · Run-leaning

2024NC State6-7HC: Dave Doeren · Balanced, slow tempo

2025NC State8-5HC: Dave Doeren · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

90All-America level #15 of 583?

High confidenceBreakout8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: tackles (100th percentile). Strength: solo tackles (99th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Tackles#2 / 2975 · 100th pct

143

Solo tackles#21 / 2975 · 99th pct

Tackles for loss#126 / 2975 · 96th pct

9.5

Sacks#233 / 2975 · 91st pct

3.5

QB hurries#288 / 2975 · 88th pct

Passes defended#517 / 2975 · 78th pct

Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct

Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home8g	12.1	1.0	0.3	0.2
Road5g	9.2	0.3	0.2	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-78g	10.2	0.9	0.2	0.1
Weeks 8+5g	12.2	0.5	0.3	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Dave Doeren

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

90 · #15 of 583 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #15 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix to repeat All-ACC

Based on 2025: #3 of 74 ACC LBs

How the All-ACC estimate is computed

49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	NC State	143	60	9.5	3.5	3	2	--
2024	NC State	50	22	4.0	1.0	2	--	--
2023	NC State	53	22	4.0	0.0	1	--	--
2022	NC State	5	2	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
2021	NC State	3	--	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		254	106	17.5	4.5	6	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2025

W 35–31

vs Virginia

4 SOLO · 9 TOT

Edged out Virginia at home in a shootout.

With C. Bailey — 200 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 90.0 · 44 rush yds (6 car) · 2 TD · C. Noonkester — 49 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 58 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 24-17vs East Carolina	11	5	2.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 35-31vs Virginia	9	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	W 34-24@ Wake Forest	6	2	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 4	L 33-45@ Duke	11	5	1.0	0.5	—	0
Wk 5	L 21-23vs Virginia Tech	15	8	1.0	0.0	—	0	Season-high 15 tackles
Wk 6	W 56-10vs Campbell	7	3	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	L 7-36@ Notre Dame	10	2	0.5	0.5	—	0
Wk 9	L 34-53@ Pittsburgh	8	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 48-36vs Georgia Tech	15	6	1.0	0.5	1	0
Wk 12	L 7-41@ Miami	11	7	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	W 21-11vs Florida State	15	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	W 42-19vs North Carolina	12	5	1.5	1.0	—	2
Bowl	W 31-7vs Memphis	13	5	1.5	0.0	1	0
Total		143	60	9.5	3.5	2	3

How he plays

Play style

Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

13 games

143Tackles

60Solo

9.5TFL

3.5Sacks

3Pass def.

2INT

143 tackles. 3 passes defended. 2 interceptions. 9.5 TFL.

Week 11 sack
Week 11 INT
Week 31 PD
Week 40.5 sacks
Week 70.5 sacks
Week 100.5 sacks · 1 INT
Week 141 sack · 2 PD

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.

2026 Outlook

NC State

Preseason read · May 27

2026 Depth chart

Returning starter

Linebacker · NC State

Returning around him

2 NC State players drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -2 net (20 in / 22 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

NC State · Last season: 8-5 · Talent rank #32 · 2026 recruiting class #49

DNA match

Player DNA

Balanced Linebacker

Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jackson Mitchell’s 2022 season.

Jackson Mitchell

79%match

UConn · 2022

Kaleb Elarms-Orr

TCU · 2025

All-Big 12NFL Rd 4

76%

Bryce Boettcher

Oregon · 2025

All-Big TenNFL Rd 4

76%

Matt Salopek

Miami (OH) · 2024

All-MAC

76%

Jayden McDonald

UConn · 2024

74%

Matches Jackson on

Sack rate

TFL rate

Tackle volume

Differs from Jackson on

Class year (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Jayden McDonald's graduate season at UConn (2024).

Jayden McDonald

74%match

UConn · 2024

Matt Salopek

Miami (OH) · 2024

All-MAC

72%

Quinton Urwiler

Northern Illinois · 2025

All-MAC

72%

Jordan Stringer

Troy · 2025

All-Sun Belt

69%

Jay Higgins

Iowa · 2024

Consensus All-American

68%

Matches Jayden on

Solo tackle rate

TFL rate

Height

Differs from Jayden on

Tackle volume (higher)

Player DNA

Players who play like Caden Fordham

Alex Sanford Jr.

Purdue · 2025

85%

Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste

Ole Miss · 2023

84%

Kaleb Elarms-Orr

TCU · 2025

76%

Bryce Boettcher

Oregon · 2025

76%

Khalil Murdock

Buffalo · 2025

64%

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

2021

202513 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Balanced Linebacker

Players who play like Caden Fordham