Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 3 | 811th / 2577 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1085th / 1914 |
| Run stops | 15 | 236th / 3269 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 2 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 52 | — |
Charting
Where McDonald'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.
Career
5 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 |  North Carolina#54 · 4-2 | 6 | 89% | 55 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 |  Syracuse#106 · 3-9 | 3 | 5% | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Syracuse#47 · 10-3 | 12 | 36% | 50 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | Syracuse#81 · 6-7 | 13 | 45% | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2022 * | Syracuse#49 · 7-6 | 6 | 19% | 16 | 0.5 | — | 1 | — | 0 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Derek McDonald's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded. * Defense rebuilt from the play-by-play (ESPN's box scores that season are missing it); about 10% below official totals.
Game Log
Derek McDonald'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
East Tennessee State
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 55 | 34th / 5416 |
| Solo | 22 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1350th / 2453 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 2 | 340th / 1595 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Snaps by Game
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 | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · TCU | ✓ LB | 71 | ~70 (36–71) | 9 | · | 99% |
| Wk 2 · East Tennessee State | ✓ LB | 66 | ~28 (3–51) | 3 | · | 42% |
| Wk 3 · Clemson | ✓ LB | 66 | ~66 (34–66) | 10 | 1 | 100% |
| Wk 5 · Notre Dame | — | 75 | ~75 (38–75) | 12 | · | 100% |
| Wk 6 · Pittsburgh | — | 85 | ~83 (42–85) | 12 | · | 98% |
| Wk 7 · Duke | ✓ LB | 71 | ~66 (34–71) | 9 | · | 93% |
| Season | 4 GS | 434 | 388 (326–434) | 55 | 1 | 89% |
Position Room
13 LBs on the North Carolina roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Derek McDonald | LB | SR | 55 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 10 | Peyton Seelmann | LB | JR | 53 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
| 8 | Jonathan Agumadu | LB | SO | 27 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 54 | Timir Hickman-Collins | LB | SO | 14 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
| 12 | Calvin Thomas | LB | FR | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 44 | Jake Bauer | LB | FR | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 26 | DQ Forkpa | LB | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 33 | Tyler Houser | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Ashton Blatt | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | Jayden Griffin-Haynes | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | Jordan Avinger | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Lantz Pascal | LB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 95 | Daniel Anderson | LB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
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. North Carolina depth chart →