Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-57@ South Carolina | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 36-15vs Wofford | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 3 | L 3-59@ Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#5
Thomas Aden
Senior defensive lineman on Kent State's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 275 lb · Lakewood, OH · Saint Edward High School
CFB Index 21 · #371 of 420 edge rushersLow confidence
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
0
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 3 tackles, vs Wofford
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman on Kent State's 2026 roster.
- Transferred from Pittsburgh to Kent State in 2025.
Thomas Aden
Wins his gap play after play. Thomas Aden has played for two head coaches across three seasons and two programs. The receipt: 3 tackles against Wofford — Week 2, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
20259 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Kenni Burns
Kent State
2025–2026era →
Mark Carney
Kent State
Coaching transition mid-career: Kenni Burns → Mark Carney. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kent State | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Kent State | 24 | 5 | 4.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 1 | -- | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 31 | 8 | 4.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Thomas Aden'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 36–15
vs Wofford
3 tackles · 1 solo tackles
Dominant 21-point win at home against Wofford.
With D. DeShields — 248 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 67.4 · 74 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · D. Clark — 5 rec · 90 yds
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +1 tackle.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Pittsburgh7-6HC: Pat Narduzzi · Balanced
2025Kent State5-7HC: Mark Carney · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2026Kent State1-2HC: Mark Carney · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (0th 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mark Carney
Pass share
41.4%
72 pass / 102 run
Plays / game
58.0
3 games
Team sack rate
2.6%
78 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
21 · #371 of 420 edge rushers
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-MAC
Based on 2025: #31 of 43 Mid-American DLs
How the All-MAC estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Blake Green’s 2021 season.
Matches Blake on
TFL rate
Weight
Sack rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Blake Green's sophomore season at South Florida (2021).
Matches Blake on
Height
Sack rate
TFL rate
Differs from Blake on
Class year (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Thomas Aden
Background
2026 (R-Senior) Phil Steele Preseason All-MAC First Team Pro Football Network Preseason All-MAC First Team Athlon Sports Preseason All-MAC Third Team 2025 (R-Junior) Played in all 12 games for Kent State in 2025 Finished with 24 total tackles (4 unassisted, 20 assisted) Recorded 3.5 tackles for…
The defensive line · Kent State
- Darian Blachewicz5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #5Thomas Aden4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #33Jaihien Roy2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #8Josue Cordoba1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #44Antonio Bottiggi0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Kent State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology