#27

Cal Haladay

Former linebacker at Michigan State. 2024: 58 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

LB · Michigan State · Sr. · #27

6′1″ · 233 lb · Elysburg, PA

CFB Index 44 · #334 of 571 LBsHigh confidenceMichigan State 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

ILB recruit

No. 967 nationally · Signed with Southern Columbia

Statement game19 tackles · 1 TFLvs Rutgers (FBS) · W 27-21

Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Michigan State. 2024: 58 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Southern Columbia in 2020.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Michigan State, 365 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2020

Recruited3-star out of Southern Columbia

202212 games

All-Big Tensecond

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#967 national

CFB

College

Michigan State

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

3 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM

All-Big Ten 2nd team (2022)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

2 coaches

2021–2023

Mel Tucker

Michigan State

2024

Jonathan Smith

Michigan State

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Mel Tucker → Jonathan Smith. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Michigan State11-2HC: Mel Tucker · Run-leaning

2022Michigan State5-7HC: Mel Tucker · Balanced

2023Michigan State4-8HC: Mel Tucker · Balanced

2024Michigan State5-7HC: Jonathan Smith · Balanced, slow tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

44Rotational starter #334 of 571?

High confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (89th percentile). Strength: tackles (85th percentile). Concern: qb hurries (23rd percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Solo tackles#316 / 2892 · 89th pct

Tackles#419 / 2892 · 85th pct

Tackles for loss#682 / 2892 · 75th pct

4.5

Sacks#841 / 2892 · 63rd pct

1.0

Passes defended#1155 / 2892 · 49th pct

QB hurries#1536 / 2892 · 23rd 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

2024 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	4.6	0.6	0.1	0.1
Road5g	5.2	0.0	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	4.7	0.4	0.2	0.0
Weeks 8+6g	5.0	0.3	0.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Pat Fitzgerald

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

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

44 · #334 of 571 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #334 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Michigan State	58	36	4.5	1.0	1	--	--
2023	Michigan State	91	41	5.5	1.0	--	1	--
2022	Michigan State	120	42	11.0	1.5	--	--	--
2021	Michigan State	96	39	4.5	0.5	2	2	1
Career		365	158	25.5	4.0	3	3	1

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2024

W 32–20

vs Iowa

6 TOT · 4 SOLO

With A. Chiles — 256 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 81.3 · 51 rush yds (11 car) · M. Foster — 5 rec · 100 yds · 1 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 16-10vs Florida Atlantic	5	3	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 27-24@ Maryland	6	3	0.0	0.0	—	0	Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 3	W 40-0vs Prairie View A&M	4	3	1.5	1.0	—	0
Wk 4	L 19-23@ Boston College	4	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	L 7-38vs Ohio State	5	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	L 10-31@ Oregon	4	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 32-20vs Iowa	6	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	L 17-24@ Michigan	6	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	L 10-47vs Indiana	3	2	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	L 16-38@ Illinois	6	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	W 24-17vs Purdue	3	2	1.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 14	L 14-41vs Rutgers	6	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Total		58	36	4.5	1.0	—	1

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

Cal Haladay

2020

202212 games

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Sideline-to-Sideline

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