Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 0 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 0 | — |
| Run stops | 3 | 1930th / 3270 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 12 | — |
Where Brezina's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
3 seasons at 2 schools since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far | Penn State#28 · 3-4 | 6 | 50% | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Iowa State#35 · 8-4 | 9 | 37% | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | Iowa State#30 · 11-3 | 8 | 25% | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Cael Brezina's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Cael Brezina's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 23 | 762nd / 5418 |
| Solo | 12 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 0 | — |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 1 | 638th / 1387 |
| Passes defended | 0 | — |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Marshall | 54 | ~45 (23–53) | 6 | 83% |
| Wk 2 · Temple | 55 | ~50 (25–55) | 6 | 91% |
| Wk 3 · Buffalo | 63 | ~29 (3–53) | 3 | 46% |
| Wk 5 · Northwestern | 69 | ~45 (23–53) | 5 | 65% |
| Wk 6 · USC | 63 | ~19 (2–34) | 2 | 30% |
| Wk 7 · Michigan | 53 | ~23 (2–42) | 2 | 43% |
| Season | 423 | 211 (99–288) | 24 | 50% |
11 LBs on the Penn State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Tony Rojas | LB | JR | 56 | 10.5 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Kooper Ebel | LB | SR | 40 | 2.5 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 9 | Cael Brezina | LB | JR | 23 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 10 | Caleb Bacon | LB | SR | 19 | 5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 25 | Alex Tatsch | LB | SO | 11 | 1.5 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 26 | Cam Smith | LB | FR | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 32 | John Klosterman | LB | SR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 34 | Chris Fileppo | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | Jake Lukac | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | Keian Kaiser | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 45 | Josh Banks | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Penn State depth chart →