Wolfpack Linebacker Surges to First-Team All-ACC Recognition
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RALEIGH — Under head coach Dave Doeren, NC State has established a culture of tremendous linebacker play, with stars like Drake Thomas, Payton Wilson and Isaiah Moore all coming through the program. Senior linebacker Caden Fordham, who played with Wilson and Thomas, became the latest in that line to be honored as a member of the All-ACC First-Team, the league announced Tuesday.
The news of the recognition from the conference capped off a dream season for Fordham. He looked poised to become the next in line in NC State's talented linebacker corps in 2024, just before suffering a serious knee injury in practice. He returned with, obviously, great success in 2025, representing the program well in the No. 1 jersey.
H1M.
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) December 2, 2025
Caden Fordham earns All-ACC First Team Recognition!
📰: https://t.co/ruUk3QXVjY pic.twitter.com/l04XA4kBWT
The Florida native capped off his Wolfpack regular-season career with the best four-game stretch during his time at NC State. Fordham even helped lead the Pack to a win over Florida State, the school his father attended and his younger brother is committed to play for. More importantly, Fordham embodied everything head coach Dave Doeren wants from his players throughout the season.
"We never gave up next man up mentality. That's what's built into us here," Fordham said after beating UNC for the final time. "And it showed. And I'm so glad for these guys and these people in this building."
Fordham's big season
While some doubts existed in Fordham's mind about his knee injury, he became more confident as the Wolfpack's season moved along. Even in the difficult stretches of the 2025 season, the linebacker persevered and led the defense to the best of his ability. Fordham had to move around between both primary linebacker spots after fellow senior and team captain Sean Brown suffered an injury against Virginia Tech.
"I feel fully confident in my knee now. Just leaving it all out there, playing free," Fordham said before the UNC game. "You don’t know how many more guarantees you’ve got, so go give it everything and play for your brothers. These guys mean so much to me, and I’d be doing them wrong if I didn’t play to my full ability.”
Fordham saved some of the best football of his Wolfpack career for the very end of his final season in Raleigh. He recorded 53 total tackles and 1.5 sacks across the last four games, including a pair of 15-tackle games in wins over No. 8 Georgia Tech and the Seminoles, his family's school. The linebacker was quick to mention how important family bragging rights were after knocking off FSU.
“My younger brother’s going there, my dad played there, and since I’ve been here, we haven’t lost to them, so that's always going to be something I remind them of for sure," Fordham said.
The veteran defender finished the season with 130 total tackles, the most in the ACC. He added 56 solo tackles, placing second in that category behind Boston College defensive back KP Price, who ended the 2025 season with 65 solo takedowns. Nationally, Fordham's 130 tackles ranked fifth, but were the most by any linebacker in the four Power Conferences.
Fordham started every game for NC State in 2025, but the final game was far and away the most important for him and the program. Entering the rivalry matchup against North Carolina, Fordham had never lost to the Tar Heels during his extended stay in Raleigh. There was pride on the line and the linebacker played like it. He finished with 12 total tackles, a sack and two passes defended in the win.
"It's been an amazing journey. Obviously, never losing to them, it's something I've always dreamed of coming here at NC State," Fordham said. "It's something that's emphasized here every year. So it was awesome to go out there with a bang."
He joined running back Hollywood Smothers and tight end Justin Joly as the other Wolfpack players to be named First-Team All-ACC for their efforts in the 2025 season. Wilson was the most recent NC State linebacker to be named to a first-team back in 2023 and has gone on to an impressive career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Will Fordham be the next great Wolfpack linebacker at the next level?
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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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