Kenny McClendon begins his second season at Valdosta State after a very successful season as the defensive line coach for the Blazers in 2018 helping lead VSU to its fourth national championship in 14 years and first undefeated season in school history. Â
McClendon coached a defensive line including all-league performers Iseoluwapu Jegede and Joe Mozone as the Blazer "D" finished 31st nationally in 3rd down defense (.322) and 35th in 4th down defense (.357), while ranking ninth nationally in red zone defense at at .652 clip. VSU finished 12th nationally in sacks at 3.29 per game, while ranking 18th in tackles for loss at 8.4 per contest. The Blazers forced 27 turnovers for the season for 11th nationally, while the 47 total sacks ranked second all-time in school history in a season.
The Saint Louis, Mo., native, came to VSU after a few months at Carthage College in Racine, Wisconsin, as a special teams coordinator and defensive line coach. Prior to that, McClendon earned earned a wealth of Division I experience as a graduate assistant Iowa State University in 2017, helping the Cyclones to an 8-5 record and a Liberty Bowl victory.
At Iowa State, McClendon helped lead the Cyclones to a school-record for wins over ranked teams (3), victories on the road (5), wins versus conference opponents (5) and Iowa State appeared in the AP national rankings for the first time in 12 years. Â
McClendon also served as a defensive graduate assistant at Division I Central Michigan University in  2016, helping the Chippewas to a bowl berth. He also assisted his high school alma mater DeSmet Jesuit and Lindenwood (Mo.) prior to his graduate assistant position at CMU in 2015.
McClendon earned his bachlor's degree at CMU in 2013 where he was a four-year letterwinner on the defensive line. He also has a master’s degree in management. While at CMU, he played 47 games for the Chippewas, recording 37 tackles, 7.0 TFL and five forced fumbles.Â
