NC State Linebacker Caden Fordham Relied on Faith, Family & Friends in his Journey Back to the Field

When a football player suffers a season-ending injury, the road back to the field is a long one. Fans watching and cheering from the stands or their couches often don’t fully grasp the magnitude of that journey.

Last season, NC State linebacker Caden Fordham wasn’t just leading the Wolfpack in tackles through six games—he was leading the ACC. Unfortunately, Fordham suffered a season-ending injury and didn’t play again after NC State’s game against Wake Forest.

In those six games, Fordham totaled 48 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 2 pass breakups in his first year as a starter.

Losing their MIKE linebacker was the defensive equivalent of losing a quarterback.

When a player is forced to take off the pads, he can either embrace a new role as a teammate and leader or fade into the background. Fordham embraced the former.

“It was an eye-opening experience. I learned how to lead from a different perspective. I was on the sideline. I wasn’t really out there with the guys doing it the whole time.

It was a big step in my leadership—learning how to talk to guys and show them things one-on-one instead of being out there in front of the team.”

Fordham stayed team-focused and approached his recovery with perseverance—largely because of the people around him and the God who grounds him.

“Yeah, anytime you’re taken away from the sport you love so much, it’s difficult. Thankfully, I’ve got my brothers. They were with me the whole way. Coach Doeren helped me a ton.

My dad—he was in my corner the whole time. My faith in the Lord helped me get through it all. It was such a blessing. That’s the rock.

Faith is so much—means so much more to me than any game. So having that strong faith really helped me get through those dark times. Definitely, having a relationship with Christ was huge during those times.”

Fordham has one year of college eligibility remaining, and he’s healthy and ready for one last run with the Wolfpack.

“As far as it goes right now, I actually just went home, got cleared, so we’re ready to go, and I’m excited for fall camp.”