Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-57@ South Carolina | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 36-15vs Wofford | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#5
Thomas Aden
Senior defensive lineman on Kent State's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 275 lb · Lakewood, OH · Saint Edward High School
CFB Index 21 · #371 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceReturning to Kent State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
5 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 tackles, vs Wofford
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on Kent State's 2026 roster.
- Transferred from Pittsburgh to Kent State in 2025.
Thomas Aden
Wins his gap play after play. Thomas Aden has played for two head coaches across three seasons and two programs. The receipt: 3 tackles against Wofford — Week 2, 2026.
5 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20259 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Kenni Burns
Kent State
2025–2026era →
Mark Carney
Kent State
Coaching transition mid-career: Kenni Burns → Mark Carney. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Pittsburgh7-6HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced
2025Kent State5-7HC: Mark Carney · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2026Kent State1-1HC: Mark Carney · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
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 2 games: 2.5 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mark Carney
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.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
21 · #371 of 420 edge rushers
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #31 of 43 Mid-American DLs
How the All-MAC estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kent State | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Kent State | 24 | 5 | 4.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 1 | -- | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 30 | 7 | 4.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 36–15
vs Wofford
3 TOT · 1 SOLO
Dominant 21-point win at home against Wofford.
With D. DeShields — 248 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 67.4 · 74 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · D. Clark — 5 rec · 90 yds
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
Kent State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Kent State
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -4 net (11 in / 15 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Kent State · Last season: 5-7 · Talent rank #130 · 2026 recruiting class #122
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 Blake Green’s 2021 season.
Matches Blake on
TFL rate
Weight
Sack rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Blake Green's sophomore season at South Florida (2021).
Matches Blake on
Height
Sack rate
TFL rate
Differs from Blake on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Thomas Aden
Background
2026 (R-Senior) Phil Steele Preseason All-MAC First Team Pro Football Network Preseason All-MAC First Team Athlon Sports Preseason All-MAC Third Team 2025 (R-Junior) Played in all 12 games for Kent State in 2025 Finished with 24 total tackles (4 unassisted, 20 assisted) Recorded 3.5 tackles for l...
The defensive line · Kent State
- Darian Blachewicz5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #5Thomas Aden4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #33Jaihien Roy2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #8Josue Cordoba1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #44Antonio Bottiggi0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Kent State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology