Usage Score
9.2
Player Dossier
2023-2025Ohio State
Kayden McDonald
DL • 6'3" • 326 lbs • Suwanee, GA, USA
Ball-hunting defenderSplash play profile
Kayden McDonald shows a ball-hunting defender profile with 28.6 disruption score.
Efficiency
28.6
Consistency
34.6
Season Value
23.7
Career Arc
Value trend by season
Best season by value score: 2023 Regular Season · Ohio State
2324242525
Snapshot
- Career Teams
- 1
- Seasons Tracked
- 5
- Program Path
- Ohio State
- Peak Game
- Peak game by takeover score: Washington
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.
Kayden McDonald, DL. Best season Best season by value score: 2023 Regular Season · Ohio State. Kayden McDonald shows a ball-hunting defender profile with 28.6 disruption score.
Player insights
Lead takeaway
Best season by value score: 2023 Regular Season
Ohio State paired 1.5 primary output with 19.2 efficiency.
Supporting note
2025 Postseason role shape
impact-led usage with 28.6 efficiency.
Supporting note
Career value stayed steady
2025 Regular Season tracked close to the prior stop by season value score.
Supporting note
Peak game by takeover score: Washington
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.
2025 Postseason · Ohio State
Games
14
Havoc Plays / G
0.9
Efficiency
28.6
Usage
9.2
Consistency
34.6
Best Game by takeover score
Miami
Hover a point or expand a game row to keep the active game context visible here.
Game-by-Game Trend
1234567891011121314
Chronological game order.
Game by game trend chart. Miami: 2. Texas: 0. Unknown: 1. Ohio: 2. Washington: 5. Minnesota: 1. Illinois: 0. Wisconsin: 0. Penn State: 0. Purdue: 1. UCLA: 1. Rutgers: 0. Michigan: 0. Indiana: 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. Miami: 8 by 53.3. Texas: 8 by 33.3. Unknown: 3 by 22.5. Ohio: 3 by 32.5. Washington: 7 by 79.2. Minnesota: 2 by 18.3. Illinois: 3 by 12.5. Wisconsin: 3 by 12.5. Penn State: 8 by 33.3. Purdue: 4 by 26.7. UCLA: 3 by 22.5. Rutgers: 3 by 12.5. Michigan: 5 by 20.8. Indiana: 5 by 20.8
Split Comparison
Wins0.9 · n=11 · -0.1 vs Losses
Losses1 · n=2 · +0.1 vs Wins
First Half1.6 · n=7 · +1.3 vs Second Half
Second Half0.3 · n=7 · -1.3 vs First Half
Game Log
Dense stat lines with inline explanations and season-linked highlights.
14 games
Featured metric
Havoc Plays
Top game by takeover score
Washington
Best efficiency game
79.2 vs Washington
| Result | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1/1 | vs Miami | L 14-24 | 8 | 3 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | — | — |
| Sun 12/7 | vs Indiana | L 10-13 | 5 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 11/29 | @ Michigan | W 27-9 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 11/22 | vs Rutgers | W 42-9 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sun 11/16 | vs UCLA | W 48-10 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 11/8 | @ Purdue | W 34-10 | 4 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 11/1 | vs Penn State | W 38-14 | 8 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 10/18 | @ Wisconsin | W 34-0 | 3 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 10/11 | @ Illinois | W 34-16 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 10/4 | vs Minnesota | W 42-3 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 9/27 | @ Washington2+ sacks · Splash game | W 24-6 | 7 | 4 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 9/13 | vs Ohio | W 37-9 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 9/6 | vs Unknown | — | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Sat 8/30 | vs Texas | W 14-7 | 8 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
Career Arc
Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.
- 1
Ohio State
2023-2025
Opening stop
Season Progression
20232024202420252025
| Season | Team | Primary | Efficiency | Usage | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Regular Season | Ohio State | 1.5 | 19.2 | 2.9 | — |
| 2024 Postseason | Ohio State | 2.5 | 9.5 | 2.6 | 1 |
| 2024 Regular Season | Ohio State | 2.5 | 9.5 | 2.6 | 0 |
| 2025 Postseason | Ohio State | 13 | 28.6 | 9.2 | 10.5 |
| 2025 Regular Season | Ohio State | 13 | 28.6 | 9.2 | 0 |
Signature Performances
Top Games
#1 Featured game
Washington
Win with backfield disruption leading the way.
5
Primary metric
5 disruption/tackle impact with 67.4 takeover score.
#2
Michigan State
1
Primary metric
Win with 1 impact plays across the defensive snap sheet.
1 disruption/tackle impact with 43.3 takeover score.
#3
Western Michigan
1
Primary metric
Win with 1 impact plays across the defensive snap sheet.
1 disruption/tackle impact with 41.8 takeover score.
#4
Purdue
1.5
Primary metric
Win with 1.5 impact plays across the defensive snap sheet.
1.5 disruption/tackle impact with 40.7 takeover score.
#5
Miami
2
Primary metric
Loss with 2 impact plays across the defensive snap sheet.
2 disruption/tackle impact with 35.9 takeover score.
Top Seasons
#1 Season by value score
2023 Regular Season · Ohio State
1.5 primary output · 19.2 efficiency · 2.9 usage
31.2
#2
2025 Postseason · Ohio State
23.7
13 primary · 28.6 efficiency · 9.2 usage
#3
2025 Regular Season · Ohio State
23.7
13 primary · 28.6 efficiency · 9.2 usage
Milestones
1
Impact games
1
Splash games
0
10+ tackle games
Bio, Recruit, and Data Context
Recruit Profile
4★
Class 2023 · Rating 0.9103
North Gwinnett · Suwanee, GA
- Committed To
- Ohio State
- Commit Date
- Jan 1, 2023
Career Facts
1
Career teams
5
Seasons tracked
85
Career Tackles
Data Context
Coverage spans 5 tracked seasons, 26 games, and SP opponent-strength context when available. Derived metrics fall back to raw production when share or rating context is missing.