Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 41-43vs The Citadel | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
#85
Caleb Irving
Sophomore defensive lineman for Charlotte. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 290 lb · Glenn Heights, TX · Parish Episcopal
Returning to Charlotte for 2026
The numbers
1
sack · 2026
1 TFL · 1 tackles
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 1 tackles, vs The Citadel
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 defensive lineman for Charlotte. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Purdue in 2024.
- Transferred from Purdue to Charlotte in 2025.
Caleb Irving
Wins his gap play after play. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Ryan Walters and Tim Albin. The receipt on tape: 1 tackles, 1 sacks against The Citadel, Week 1, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Purdue3-star out of Dallas Parish Episcopal
20256 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Biff Poggi
Charlotte
Coaching transition mid-career: Biff Poggi → Tim Albin. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Purdue1-11HC: Ryan Walters · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Charlotte1-11HC: Tim Albin · Balanced, slow tempo
2026Charlotte0-2HC: Tim Albin · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (87th percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
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 splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 1.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tim Albin
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Charlotte
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Charlotte
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -8 net (19 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Charlotte · Last season: 1-11 · Talent rank #104 · 2026 recruiting class #103
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Rasheed Lyles’s 2022 season.
Matches Rasheed on
Sack rate
Hurry rate
Height
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Leroy Jackson's sophomore season at North Carolina (2025).
Matches Leroy on
Class year
Height
Sack rate
Differs from Leroy on
Hurry rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Caleb Irving
Background
At Charlotte Redshirt Freshman, 2025 (10/4): Played in all but two games and made four starts on the defensive line Totaled 14 tackles and a forced fumble Had a career-high six tackles and a forced fumble at South Florida Before Charlotte Began his career at Purdue, appearing in two games during...
The defensive line · Charlotte
- #9Curtis Simpson4.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #51Jamarrion Solomon3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #2Jaylon Johnson1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #85Caleb Irving0 tackles for loss · 2025
- #7D.J. Burgess0 tackles for loss · 2025
16 more on the roster · Charlotte team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology