NC State LB gets storybook ending with bowl win, reflects on Wolfpack career

This time last year, Caden Fordham didn’t know what the rest of his college journey would look like after tearing his ACL midway through last season. He hoped to make a full recovery, but there were some difficult stretches.

Fordham completed his N.C. State football career on Friday with the kind of ending players only dream of.

“Thanks to these coaches, training staff here,” Fordham said. “They’ve helped me a ton, getting back from a serious injury. Then, my family and my faith in Christ. That’s the only way I was able to get back to where I wanted to be and play the ball I wanted to play. This whole offseason, I just told myself, ‘You’ve got to work your tail off, that’s the only way you’re going to get to where you want to go.’ I feel like I did that, and played some ball at the end of the year.”

The fifth-year senior linebacker helped the Wolfpack beat Memphis, 31-7, in the Gasparilla Bowl for the team’s first bowl win since 2017. He recorded a game-high 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a 55-yard interception return that the offense turned into a touchdown.

Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis passed a ball intended for tight end Matt Adcock. It bounced off Adcock’s chest. Fordham, with the help of his teammates, ran to the red zone before Tigers tight end Bryce Anderson tackled him at the 3-yard line. Quarterback CJ Bailey joked that he was disappointed Fordham didn’t score, but the linebacker admitted he ran out of steam.

Freshman quarterback Will Wilson scored two plays later and put N.C. State up 21-0.

Fordham was all over the field, applying pressure and limiting yards after contact. Two tackles, one in the first quarter and one in the fourth, forced a pair of Memphis turnovers on downs.

The Ponte Vedra, Florida, native earned the Most Valuable Player award and became the first defensive player in the bowl’s history to receive the distinction.

In a time when players, and whole teams, are opting out of bowl games unless they are College Football Playoff games, it meant a lot to coach Dave Doeren that most of his players wanted one last ride. Fordham, however, never considered sitting out.

“Coach Doeren, these guys on this team have given too much to me for me not to even want to play,” Fordham said. “Plus, I love this game so much. I want to play anytime I can, and to play with these guys, these coaches, I don’t see how you could opt out. I love these guys so much. I wanted to play every second.”

His final season has been a story of inspiration, hard work and faith. Fordham finished the year with 143 total tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two interceptions and one forced fumble. In five years with the Pack, he logged 252 tackles.

“I would tell you he was better than he was before, which is pretty cool to see that,” Doeren said after the win. “An All-American on two teams, an All-Conference player. … I don’t think he could have done any more than he did. He did a pretty damn good job.”

Fordham led FBS in tackles and ranked No. 5 in the nation. The Sporting News named Fordham to its All-America second team; the Associated Press listed him on the third team. He was also a First Team All-ACC selection. He’s a finalist for the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year award.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and N.C. State Ring of Honor member Payton Wilson, to whom Fordham’s career has been compared, finished with 138 tackles in his senior season.

“I’ve had some really good players over the years, and some of them have had to overcome injury,” Doeren said after the team’s win. “Payton was the same way. He had a phenomenal year after his final injuries.

“That’s all you want. You want them to come back whole, and you want them to be able to realize their dream and become the best version of themselves. Caden absolutely did that; as a man, as a leader, as a football player.”

Fordham wasn’t cleared for contact activities until mid-July, he told reporters at ACC Kickoff. He spent nearly nine months working on conditioning and non-contact activities, hoping to be ready when the doctors gave him the green light.

It took Fordham and the rest of the defense time to put things together. Between defensive coordinator DJ Eliot’s new system and the ongoing injuries, the team took beatings midway through the season. Its effort started to show in November, putting together solid performances. Fordham was at the forefront.

The senior finished the year with at least 10 tackles in nine games and reached double figures in five straight.

Though his career is over, Fordham will look back on his time at N.C. State with pride. Not only for his accomplishments on the field, but primarily his personal development. He views everything as a blessing to carry into the future.

“I had the honor of being a captain and wearing the jersey No. 1. A lot comes with that,” Fordham said. “[From] a leader perspective, it’s helped me a ton grow as a man. Coach Doeren helped me every day grow as a leader. That’s something you can’t take away from someone. Having that in my repertoire, as I move forward in life, I’m going to use it and lean back on it every chance I can get. Thank you to Coach and N.C. State for that.”