Check any Kennesaw State box score from the last two seasons and you'll find the same name near the top of the tackle column: No. 44, Baron Hopson.
The graduate linebacker from Leesburg, Ga., came into 2026 as the reigning Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and the league's 10 head coaches voted him the Preseason CUSA Defensive Player of the Year. Eight games in, he's still doing what he does: finding the football and putting it on the ground.
The record year
Start with 2025, because it set the bar. Hopson started all 14 games and made 138 tackles, the most in a single season in Kennesaw State history. He added nine tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception, and he reached double figures in tackles nine times.
His signature moment came in the regular-season finale against Liberty. Hopson made 16 tackles, a school single-game record, including a record 12 solo stops, as the Owls clinched their trip to the CUSA Championship Game. That night earned him CUSA Defensive Player of the Week. He closed the year with 12 more tackles in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
The postseason honors followed: CUSA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-CUSA and third-team HERO Sports Group of Five All-American.
Still stacking stops in 2026
Teams knew he was coming this year, and it hasn't mattered much. Through eight games, Hopson has 59 tackles in seven appearances (22 solo, 37 assisted), plus 1.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. That's about 8.4 tackles a game, and he's second on the team behind Tywon Christopher.
The game-by-game line shows how steady he's been:
- 11 tackles against Georgia State
- 8 tackles and 1.5 TFL at Arkansas State
- 9 tackles against Jax State, plus a fumble recovery after Christopher knocked the ball loose
- 9 tackles at Missouri State
- 12 tackles (8 solo) against Liberty, his season high
- 9 tackles in the 44-28 win at MTSU
That Liberty game was his 11th double-digit tackle game since the start of 2025. Per Kennesaw State's game notes, that ranked second in the country over that span. Then at MTSU, his nine stops pushed him past 300 career tackles, counting his time at Jackson State before he came to Kennesaw.
The Hopson-Christopher pairing
One of the best stories of this season is what's happening next to Hopson. Christopher has 41 tackles, 5.0 TFL, a forced fumble and a pick six over the last four games, and he's been named CUSA Defensive Player of the Week twice. Against MTSU the two linebackers combined for 17 tackles.
When the veteran and the young linebacker are both flying around, it's tough for any offense to find room in the middle of the field.
More than a tackler
Here's the part that doesn't show up in the box score. Hopson already holds a civil engineering degree, carries a 4.0 and is working on a master's in engineering management. He was named a semifinalist for the 2026 NFF William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's top scholar-athlete award, as one of only 95 FBS semifinalists. He also sits on the team's leadership council and was on the preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Lombardi Award.
What to watch at Homecoming
Saturday's opponent brings a real test. Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci was the CUSA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, the same day Hopson got the defensive honor. He threw for 3,683 yards and ran for 10 touchdowns last season. Slowing a quarterback who can beat you with his legs starts with linebackers who tackle well in space, and that's Hopson's specialty.
Two things we'll be watching. Can he get back to double digits for the third time this season? And can he and Christopher keep the Blue Hens from turning short completions into long drives?
Kickoff is 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 7, at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium, on ESPN+. Get ready with our Homecoming fan's guide, check the full schedule, look back at 3 things we learned at MTSU, and grab some game-day gear in the shop.
Go find the football, 44. OwlUp! 🦉
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