Kai McClendon
Kai McClendon
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Tennessee — Week 11, 2024.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- game log
Career Arc
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Lebby
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 30 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 30 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2024
W 56–7
vs Eastern Kentucky
4 TOT
Dominant 49-point win at home against Eastern Kentucky.
How he plays
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Mississippi State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Mississippi State
Returning around him
- 2 Mississippi State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -13 net (27 in / 40 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Mississippi State · Last season: 5-8 · Talent rank #24 · 2026 recruiting class #23
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Caden Haws’s 2022 season.
Matches Caden on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Maraad Watson's freshman season at Syracuse (2024).
Matches Maraad on