Usage Score
9.2
Player Dossier
2018-2022San Diego State
Caden McDonald
LB • 6'3" • 235 lbs • Haslet, TX, USA
Ball-hunting defenderSplash play profile
Caden McDonald shows a ball-hunting defender profile with 26 disruption score.
Efficiency
39
Consistency
27.7
Season Value
27.9
Career Arc
Value trend by season
Best season by value score: 2018 Postseason · San Diego State
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Snapshot
- Career Teams
- 1
- Seasons Tracked
- 8
- Program Path
- San Diego State
- Peak Game
- Peak game by takeover score: UNLV
Scouting Read
Best season and peak-game context are pinned here so the rest of the page can stay analytical without losing the headline story.
Caden McDonald, LB. Best season Best season by value score: 2018 Postseason · San Diego State. Caden McDonald shows a ball-hunting defender profile with 26 disruption score.
Player insights
Lead takeaway
Best season by value score: 2018 Postseason
San Diego State paired 0 primary output with 4.2 efficiency.
Supporting note
2020 Regular Season role shape
impact-led usage with 39 efficiency.
Supporting note
Career value stayed steady
2022 Regular Season tracked close to the prior stop by season value score.
Supporting note
Peak game by takeover score: UNLV
Win with backfield disruption leading the way. It landed in the 100th percentile of the selected season.
Analysis workspace
Season Workbench
Filter the strongest season sample, inspect game-level shape, and then drop into the full log without losing the story of the year.
Season Explorer
Understand the selected season before dropping into the full game log.
2020 Regular Season · San Diego State
Games
8
Havoc Plays / G
2.2
Efficiency
39
Usage
9.2
Consistency
27.7
Best Game by takeover score
BYU
Hover a point or expand a game row to keep the active game context visible here.
Game-by-Game Trend
12345678
Chronological game order.
Game by game trend chart. UNLV: 5.5. Utah State: 0.5. San José State: 0. Hawai'i: 5. Nevada: 1. Colorado: 1. Colorado State: 4.5. BYU: 0
Volume vs Efficiency
Low volume / high quality
High volume / high quality
Low volume / lower quality
High volume / lower quality
Volume on the x-axis, quality on the y-axis.
Volume versus efficiency scatter chart. UNLV: 8 by 83.3. Utah State: 3 by 17.5. San José State: 3 by 12.5. Hawai'i: 7 by 79.2. Nevada: 3 by 22.5. Colorado: 5 by 30.8. Colorado State: 4 by 61.7. BYU: 1 by 4.2
Split Comparison
Wins3.9 · n=4 · +3.4 vs Losses
Losses0.5 · n=4 · -3.4 vs Wins
First Half2.8 · n=4 · +1.1 vs Second Half
Second Half1.6 · n=4 · -1.1 vs First Half
Game Log
Dense stat lines with inline explanations and season-linked highlights.
8 games
Featured metric
Havoc Plays
Top game by takeover score
UNLV
Best efficiency game
83.3 vs UNLV
| Result | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 12/13 | @ BYU | L 14-28 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sun 12/6 | vs Colorado StateSplash game | W 29-17 | 4 | 3 | — | 2.50 | 0 | — | 2 | — | — |
| Sat 11/28 | @ Colorado | L 10-20 | 5 | 3 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 11/21 | @ Nevada | L 21-26 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | — | — |
| Sat 11/14 | vs Hawai'i2+ sacks · Splash game | W 34-10 | 7 | 3 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 11/7 | vs San José State | L 17-28 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sun 11/1 | @ Utah State | W 38-7 | 3 | 1 | — | 0.50 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sun 10/25 | vs UNLV2+ sacks · Splash game | W 34-6 | 8 | 2 | — | 3 | 2.50 | — | 0 | — | — |
Career Arc
Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.
- 1
San Diego State
2018-2022
Opening stop
Season Progression
20182018201920192020202120212022
| Season | Team | Primary | Efficiency | Usage | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Postseason | San Diego State | 0 | 4.2 | 0.9 | — |
| 2018 Regular Season | San Diego State | 0 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2019 Postseason | San Diego State | 11 | 19.4 | 6.2 | 11 |
| 2019 Regular Season | San Diego State | 11 | 19.4 | 6.2 | 0 |
| 2020 Regular Season | San Diego State | 17.5 | 39 | 9.2 | 6.5 |
| 2021 Postseason | San Diego State | 12.5 | 23.8 | 6 | -5 |
| 2021 Regular Season | San Diego State | 12.5 | 23.8 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 Regular Season | San Diego State | 11.5 | 26 | 7.5 | -1 |
Signature Performances
Top Games
#1 Featured game
UNLV
Win with backfield disruption leading the way.
5.5
Primary metric
5.5 disruption/tackle impact with 67.9 takeover score.
#2
Hawai'i
5
Primary metric
Win with backfield disruption leading the way.
5 disruption/tackle impact with 63 takeover score.
#3
Unknown
3.5
Primary metric
Game with 3.5 impact plays across the defensive snap sheet.
3.5 disruption/tackle impact with 61.8 takeover score.
#4
Hawai'i
4
Primary metric
Loss with backfield disruption leading the way.
4 disruption/tackle impact with 60.1 takeover score.
#5
New Mexico State
3
Primary metric
Win with 3 impact plays across the defensive snap sheet.
3 disruption/tackle impact with 54.8 takeover score.
Top Seasons
#1 Season by value score
2018 Postseason · San Diego State
0 primary output · 4.2 efficiency · 0.9 usage
35
#2
2018 Regular Season · San Diego State
35
0 primary · 4.2 efficiency · 0.9 usage
#3
2020 Regular Season · San Diego State
27.9
17.5 primary · 39 efficiency · 9.2 usage
Milestones
4
Impact games
7
Splash games
0
10+ tackle games
Bio, Recruit, and Data Context
Recruit Profile
3★
Class 2017 · Rating 0.8228
Northwest · Justin, TX
- Committed To
- San Diego State
- Commit Date
- Jan 1, 2017
Career Facts
1
Career teams
8
Seasons tracked
161
Career Tackles
Data Context
Coverage spans 8 tracked seasons, 48 games, and base opponent context only. Derived metrics fall back to raw production when share or rating context is missing.