Top Defensive Performers for NC State in Week 1
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RALEIGH -- While the Wolfpack offense and sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey had their moments throughout NC State's 24-17 win over East Carolina, the team's defense stood out in some major moments.
Since head coach Dave Doeren took over 13 years ago, defense has been the main calling card of his NC State teams. 2024 marked a major departure from that trend, as NC State's defense fell apart, particularly against the run.
Doeren remade the defensive staff and personnel after longtime coordinator Tony Gibson moved on to become the head coach at Marshall. He brought in DJ Eliot, a coach with NFL experience, to modernize the State defense.
In its debut, the new coordinator's unit appeared to be an improvement over the previous season. A few players stood out in the win, wreaking havoc upon the ECU offense throughout the ball game.
The Alpha of the Pack: Caden Fordham
After earning the prestigious No. 1 uniform, the expectations rose significantly for linebacker Caden Fordham. He made the long journey back from a knee injury, which derailed his 2024 season on a mission to lead the Wolfpack defense. He led the team's opener.
Fordham led the Wolfpack with 11 total tackles (five solo) and tallied two tackles for loss and a sack in 49 plays. Listed as the team's weakside linebacker in the depth chart, Fordham flew around the field against ECU's spread-out offensive scheme. The linebacker enjoyed working with Eliot in his first game, calling plays.
"He’s been in the NFL before. He kind of has different knowledge of the defensive scenarios, situations and play calls. It’s so cool to see how an actual D-Coordinator thinks about things and goes about his practice and preparation. It’s so cool to continue to learn from him, and he does a great job," Fordham said.
The Mountain West Gang showed up
The defense added two impact transfers from the Mountain West Conference in the offseason. Defensive end Sabastian Harsh and linebacker Cian Slone both proved their value in the season opener.
Harsh applied tremendous pressure from the edge, something Doeren and Eliot sought to do more of in the 2025 season. Harsh finished with seven tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, and added one official quarterback hurry.
Slone played in the team's 'Jack' linebacker spot, essentially roving around the defense as both an edge rusher and an outside linebacker. He finished with seven tackles and three quarterback hurries. Slone helped significantly on the perimeter of the defense as ECU boosted the tempo in the second half.
"Man, it’s awesome having guys like that come in and play like that in their first game here at NC State. It’s awesome to see people, your teammates out there fighting like dogs every play, going out there making plays. I love having them on my side," Fordham said about his new teammates.
All Slone wanted was a chance with a power conference team. In his first opportunity, he showed he was more than a group-of-five player.
"I’m not where I want to be at right now, but I say from effort and how I played, I’m definitely satisfied with what I did out there, but I understand there’s more to be done, and I’m not where I want to be yet," Slone said.
Calling the Plays and Making Tackles
Somewhat surprisingly, Fordham didn't receive the green dot helmet and receive coach-to-player communications during the game. Middle linebacker Sean Brown made the calls for the defense on the field, leading his team throughout the game.
Brown ended his powerful performance with 10 tackles and three quarterback hurries. He helped NC State's stout run defense hold ECU to 30 yards total on the ground.
It's clear the NC State defense has playmakers. Remaining consistent in the coming weeks will be the next part of proving this unit improved over the course of the offseason.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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