Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-0vs Marshall | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-9@ Temple | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 55-13vs Buffalo | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#9
Cael Brezina
Junior linebacker for Penn State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 233 lb · Downers Grove, IL · Downers Grove North
CFB Index 19 · #530 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceTransferred Iowa State → Penn State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
14
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 tackles, at Temple
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior linebacker for Penn State. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Iowa State in 2024.
- Transferred from Iowa State to Penn State in 2026.
Cael Brezina
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Iowa State to Penn State — the move that set up everything since. The receipt on tape: 6 tackles against Temple, Week 2, 2026.
14 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- portal record
- game log
His career
5 programs, one constant: he played.
20248 games
- Signed with Iowa State3-star out of Downers Grove North
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: James Franklin, Terry Smith, and Matt Campbell. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Penn State
2025Iowa State
2026Penn State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 14 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Iowa State | 29 | 14 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 22 | 12 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 65 | 35 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Cael Brezina's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 27–9
at Temple
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +3 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Iowa State11-3HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced
2025Iowa State8-4HC: Matt Campbell · Run-leaning
2026Penn State3-0HC: Matt Campbell · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Concern: tackles for loss (16th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 4.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
40.0%
80 pass / 120 run
Plays / game
66.7
3 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
86 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
19 · #530 of 583 LBs
Three-star recruit. Now #530 at the position.
How he plays
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 1,220 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big Ten as a junior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Thumper
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Vic Shaw’s 2025 season.
81%match
Matches Vic on
Hurry rate
Solo tackle rate
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Owen Chambliss's sophomore season at San Diego State (2024).
77%match
All-Mountain West
Matches Owen on
Solo tackle rate
Weight
Tackle volume
Differs from Owen on
Hurry rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Cael Brezina
The linebacker corps · Penn State
- #8Kooper Ebel77 tackles · 2025
- #10Caleb Bacon68 tackles · 2025
- #9Cael Brezina29 tackles · 2025
- #13Tony Rojas25 tackles · 2025
- #25Alex Tatsch14 tackles · 2025
7 more on the roster · Penn State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology