Caden Fordham
| No. 46 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 223 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | The Bolles (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| College | NC State (2021–2025) |
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
Caden Fordham is an American professional football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buccaneers in 2026.
Early life
[edit]Fordham attended The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. Coming out of high school, he was rated as a three-star recruit[by whom?] and committed to play college football for the NC State Wolfpack over offers from other schools such as Louisville, Miami, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech.[1]
College career
[edit]In his first two seasons from 2021 to 2022, Fordham played in 16 games, totaling eight tackles.[2] In the 2023 season, he appeared in all 13 games, notching 53 tackles with four being for a loss and a pass deflection.[3] During the 2024 season, Fordham played in six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, where he recorded 48 tackles, a sack, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.[4][5] In week 11 of the 2025 season, he totaled 15 tackles and the game-sealing interception in an upset win over Georgia Tech.[6] In week 13, Fordham recorded 15 tackles in a victory versus Florida State.[7] In the regular season finale, he tallied 12 tackles and a sack in a win against rival North Carolina.[8] In the 2025 Gasparilla Bowl, Fordham notched 13 tackles with one and a half going for a loss and an interception, and was named the bowl's MVP.[9] He finished the 2025 season totaling 143 tackles with 10.5 being for a loss, three and a half sacks, three pass deflections, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble, earning first-team all-ACC and second-team All-American honors by the Sporting News.[10]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+5⁄8 in (1.84 m) |
223 lb (101 kg) |
30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) |
8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
4.67 s | 1.56 s | 2.70 s | 4.34 s | 6.89 s | 30.0 in (0.76 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
20 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[11] | ||||||||||||
Fordham signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on May 8, 2026.[12]
Personal life
[edit]Fordham is the son of former NFL offensive tackle Todd Fordham.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Friedlander, Brett (June 9, 2020). "Three-Star LB Caden Fordham Commits to State". NC State Wolfpack on SI. SI.com. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Clark, Michael. "NC State LB Caden Fordham named Third-Team All-American by AP". 247Sports. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Avila, Alejandro. "NC State LB Caden Fordham Gets The Boot For Targeting Against Western Carolina". OutKick. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Watson-Fisher, Jadyn. "NC State football coach Dave Doeren on Caden Fordham's injury status, UNC's Tylee Craft". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Watson-Fisher, Jadyn. "Ready for a redemption tour, key NC State defender cleared for 2025 season". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Baxley, Rodd (November 2, 2025). "What N.C. State football did for the first time this season in upset win vs Georgia Tech". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Sennett, Tucker. "Caden Fordham Earns Even More National Recognition". NC State Wolfpack on SI. SI.com. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Sennett, Tucker. "Wolfpack Linebacker Caden Fordham Finishes Regular Season With Rivalry Win". NC State Wolfpack on SI. SI.com. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Brockway, Kevin (December 19, 2025). "Fordham's MVP performance caps big day for NC State in Gasparilla Bowl". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ Watson-Fisher, Jadyn. "NC State LB gets storybook ending with bowl win, reflects on Wolfpack career". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "Caden Fordham College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
- ^ Smith, Scott (May 8, 2026). "Bucs Add 14 More Rookies After 2026 Draft". Buccaneers.com.
- ^ Sennett, Tucker. "Three Wolfpack Players With NFL Legacy". NC State Wolfpack on SI. SI.com. Retrieved December 23, 2025.