LANTANA – If there is something one wants to know about Caden Gordon, a particular word comes to mind.
It is called stability.
The Santaluces 2025 cornerback pledged his verbal commitment to NC State on Wednesday, June 12 for that reason and more.
“I was always looking for a stable coaching staff,” the 6-foot-1, 170 defender said about the Wolfpack, which has had Dave Doeren as their head coach since 2012. “That was a big part of it. They have great coaches. They give out love. They make me feel like I have a home. Coach Doeren as the head coach is a really good guy. I enjoy myself out there.”
Gordon chose NC State over the likes of Florida State, Illinois, Georgia Tech, and USF. He has received 20 total college scholarship offers to date.
The Chiefs defensive standout spoke more about NC State, which extended an offer to him on January 25.
“They just kept it 100 with me,” Gordon said about the NC State coaching staff. “They told me where they will use me at. They’re really going to take care of me. I just like the plan they have set for me. That’s an important part for me.”
Gordon did not stop there.
“The plan is to come in and play wherever they need me at,” Gordon said. “I’m not just coming in as a corner. If they need me at nickel or they need me at safety, wherever they need me, I’m gonna be there. They say I’m a very versatile player. I love to hear that.”
We have film and statistics to back up what the NC State coaching staff has said about Gordon. In his junior season, the consensus three-star cornerback (Rivals/247Sports/On3) recorded the following statistics in eight games played:
•16 tackles
•1 interception
Gordon on how this past season turned out for him at Santaluces and more:
“This was actually a pretty good season,” Gordon said. “I wish I played a little more aggressive and confident, which I’m gonna fix. Now ya’ll can look for me to play both sides of the ball this upcoming season. It’s gonna be a movie for sure.”
Gordon spoke on the Santaluces coaching staff, starting with head coach/offensive coordinator Hector Clavijo III and then with defensive coordinator Samuel Putmon.
“Coach Hector is a very passionate dude who cares about the team,” Gordon said. “He wants us to thrive. We have been growing ever since we were 1-9 the year before he got here. When he got here, we went 8-3. He has really pushed us. He’s a very strong minded person.”
Gordon on Putmon:
“He came here and turned things around on defense,” Gordon said. “He turned it around, and now we lock everything up, of course. He and the rest of our coaches, I love them.”
With that being said, this offseason has proven to be a period of growth for Gordon and his team. We got a chance to see this happen at the Keiser 7-on-7 Tournament this past weekend on June 29, when Santaluces reached the semifinal round of the single-elimination playoffs.
“We haven’t been too successful in these tournaments,” Gordon said. “We lost in the first round a couple of times. Now it’s starting to kick in with the younger guys, and now we’re starting to build. We lost in the Final Four to Atlantic, a good team. We’re still working. We’re gonna come back stronger for sure.”
For the rest of this summer offseason and the upcoming fall season, Gordon is expecting great things to happen at Santaluces.
“It starts in the weight room,” Gordon said. “Everybody got to get stronger and bigger. We got to be more conditioned so we can last longer during the season and so we’re not burned out by Week 7. We just gotta start now, working every single day. We don’t have no real breaks during the week. That’s preparation for the season. Make sure y’all look out for Santaluces because we’re about to ball out and y’all gonna see it.”
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