Cal Haladay

Cal Haladay (born December 16, 2000) is an American football linebacker for the Michigan State Spartans.

Early life
Haladay attended Southern Columbia Area High School in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. In his high school career he notched 334 tackles with 34 going for a loss, 14 sacks, two pass deflections, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. Haladay committed to play college football at Michigan State over other schools such as Michigan, Nebraska, and Pittsburgh.

College career
As a freshman in 2020, Haladay redshirted and appeared in four games, recording no statistics. In week five of the 2021 season, he had a breakout game tallying ten tackles with one going for a loss, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble, as he helped Michigan State beat Western Kentucky 48–31. In week seven, Haladay intercepted a pass thrown by Jack Tuttle and returned it 30 yards for a clutch touchdown, as helped the Spartans beat Indiana 20–15. In the Spartans season finale, Haladay racked up 11 tackles with 2.5 being for a loss, 0.5 sack, and a forced fumble, as helped Michigan State survive Penn State 30–27. Haladay was named the defensive MVP of the 2021 Peach Bowl after recording a team-high 11 tackles and a 78-yard interception return for a touchdown to secure the Spartans' 31–21 victory. Haladay finished the 2021 season with 96 tackles with five going for a loss, 0.5 sack, a pass deflection, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles, and two touchdowns, earning Freshman All-American honors.

In the 2022 season opener, Haladay recorded a strip sack fumble and an interception in a 52–0 victory over Akron. In week ten he totaled nine tackles with 3.5 being for a loss, as he helped Michigan State beat Illinois. For his performance, Haladay was named the Big Ten defensive player of the week. The following week, he notched 19 tackles with one going for a loss, as helped the Spartans beat Rutgers 27–21. Haladay was named the Big Ten defensive player of the week for the second straight week. He finished the 2022 season with 120 tackles with 11 going for a loss, 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. Haladay was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and by the media. Ahead of the 2023 season, he was named to watch lists of multiple awards, such as the Butkus Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and the Chuck Bednarik Award.