Caden Fordham Had a Blast in his 1st Game Back from an ACL Injury (transcript)

Redshirt Senior Linebacker Caden Fordham didn’t look like he missed a beat last night, in his first game back from an ACL injury. Fordham led NC State with 11 tackles in their 24-17 win over ECU in their season opener. He also chipped in 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss.

Fordham met with the media after the Wolfpack’s victory last night. You can read the transcript below.

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What was it like playing for the first time in an actual game with guys like Cian Slone and Sabastian Harsh, that seemed to be living in the backfield for most of the night?

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.

How much easier does that make your job, having them pressuring the quarterback like that?

It makes it a ton easier, especially in coverage, getting pressure on them like that, making them make quick decisions. Even in the run game, having those guys in the backfield as much as they were, I mean, you can’t ask for anything more out of your D-line.

How seamless has their transition been, even though they were sort of late transfers? What is your impression of their football intellect, as well as their skill?

They’re both veteran guys in college football. They’ve played a lot of snaps. You can see it on the field.

They came in day one. New defense for all of us. They learned right away, really got in the playbook together and started picking up on things. They started in practice and preparation.

I could tell by the way they practice, how hard they practice and how serious they took it that they were going to be great players. It showed tonight.

You haven’t played since last October. What was it like getting back on the field under the lights in Carter-Finley?

I just want to say thank you to God for giving me the opportunity to be back out here and healing me. It’s awesome.

Anytime you can get back to the sport you love so much, and be able to play in any situation, is such a blessing. It was so much fun going out there with my brothers and fighting tonight, and getting a win.

This was your first game wearing the #1 jersey. Obviously, when the game kicks off, you’re probably not thinking about that as much, but do you feel like that’s lifted you to another level? Maybe made you a better leader, a better player, or even a better person?

Yeah, no doubt. I mean, it is just a number, but here at NC State, it’s a number that comes with a lot of respect and responsibility. Having Coach Doeren give me the opportunity to wear that number, I don’t take it lightly at all. I do think it pushes me everyday, knowing that I’ve got to be on my p’s and q’s when I come in this building everyday, giving it my all for my teammates.

What was it like working with Coach Eliot in his first game as Defensive Coordinator? Did you wear the headset?

No I did not. Sean Brown wore it.

The preparation was amazing. I’m kind of leaning new things. 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.