Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 4 | 736th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 2 | 830th / 2112 |
| Run stops | 26 | 69th / 3422 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 2 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 77 | — |
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#50 · 4-4 | 8 | 92% | 82 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 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
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 | vs TCU | W 15–10 | 6.8 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 |  East Tennessee State | W 35–3 | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 | @ Clemson | L 20–28 | 7.7 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 5 |  Notre Dame | L 26–37 | 7.2 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 | @ Pittsburgh | W 21–17 | 7.9 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 | @ Duke | W 24–20 | 6.7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | · | · |
| 8 | Syracuse | L 30–31 | 8.3 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 9 |  Miami | L 35–38 | 6.9 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 8 games | 7.1 | 82 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 82 | 5th / 5664 |
| Solo | 31 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 2 | 966th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 2 | 471st / 1772 |
| 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% |
| Wk 8 · Syracuse | ✓ LB | 83 | ~83 (42–83) | 16 | · | 100% |
| Wk 9 · Miami | ✓ LB | 62 | ~62 (31–62) | 11 | · | 100% |
| Season | 6 GS | 579 | 533 (447–579) | 82 | 1 | 92% |
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 | 82 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 10 | Peyton Seelmann | LB | JR | 73 | 3 | 2.5 | — | 1 |
| 8 | Jonathan Agumadu | LB | SO | 32 | 0.5 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 54 | Timir Hickman-Collins | LB | SO | 18 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
| 12 | Calvin Thomas | LB | FR | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 44 | Jake Bauer | LB | FR | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 26 | DQ Forkpa | LB | FR | 2 | 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 →