The Los Angeles Rams are arguably the hottest team in the NFL and a former Volunteer football player is a big part of the team’s success – on and off the field.

Jacques McClendon, the Rams’ Director of Player Engagement, graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2009 after lettering for the football team all four years. During that time he collected both his undergraduate degree in Economics and his master’s degree in Sports Management – an academic achievement that is rarely accomplished by regular students, let alone student-athletes with an already rigorous schedule.

McClendon is thankful Tennessee provided him the support and direction to earn his two degrees, while simultaneously preparing him for a career after football – a career in which he is already finding massive success.

McClendon played for the Vols from 2006-09 and was an anchor on the offensive line throughout his football career. He was a part of the offensive line for the Vols that allowed only four sacks in 2008 – the lowest total in the nation that fall.

He excelled on the field and off the field.

“They made a great academic plan for me to be successful,” McClendon said. “I graduated in three years and got my master’s (degree) in my fourth. That is in no short thanks to the plan that was given to me at the Thornton Center as a college freshman.”

McClendon credits much of his success in school and on the field to the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center, a facility on UT’s campus that offers counseling and career development services for student-athletes.

“I was taking 18 hours a summer to make sure everything was on track for me to graduate early,” McClendon added. “The Thornton Center provided that. I was a part of an ecosystem that allows student-athletes to be the best student they can be.”

After being selected by the Colts in the 2010 NFL Draft, McClendon enjoyed six years on an NFL roster before retiring in January 2017.

McClendon is now in a role that he believes is tailored to the kind of person he is, as he holds the position of the Director of Player Engagement for the Los Angeles Rams. He serves as a liaison between the players, coaches and the business office – making life for all three sides much smoother.

“I have a role that touches every department in our organization,” McClendon said. “Being able to have those contacts and seeing how we run everything… it’s a great growing experience for me.”

Following his playing career, McClendon received the ‘”Athlete Development Professional Certification” from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, through the “Executive Education” program.

Soon after, he received a call from the Los Angeles Rams for an interview and he was offered the job the next day.

“If I could do it all over again, I’d do it 10 times out of 10,” McClendon said. “I’ve had so much professional growth since taking this job. I think the trajectory of what I can do moving forward will always come back to this role I have here… I’m forever grateful.”

McClendon credits his relationships with NFL players and personnel today to the structure the Thornton Center built for him and the knowledge he gained at Tennessee.

“Tennessee prides themselves not only on being elite athletes, but elite students,” McClendon said. “I don’t think there’s a university that displays that as well as the University of Tennessee. I know that I was more than prepared for the world when I graduated and when I moved on after the 2009 season.”

McClendon grew up in East Tennessee and always pictured himself playing for the Vols. In 49 games he logged 26 starts for UT, and was a part of some of the most-prolific offensive lines Tennessee has displayed in the last decade.

McClendon was recruited by Phillip Fulmer and played for him for three seasons.

Fulmer took over as Director of Athletics last December for Tennessee. McClendon believes there’s “no better man to lead the ship.”

“To know that we have somebody that cares for Tennessee more than anybody can imagine,” he said about Fulmer. “It’s just right. It’s what it’s supposed to be. I am so happy for him and I support him fully.”

When McClendon isn’t spending his offseason on Rocky Top or in his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif., he joins public speaking panels to discuss how student-athletes aren’t just there for the sport – they are there to take advantage of an education.

In fact, McClendon did so well in speaking with these panels in the offseason that he was appointed to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, which promotes reforms that support and strengthen the education mission of college sports.

“I didn’t see it coming,” McClendon said. “I just want to make sure the opportunity for every other student-athlete is better than I ever could have had.”

In high school, McClendon attended the Baylor School, a private high school in Chattanooga.

At Baylor, he broke several records in the weight room, including bench press and the squat record. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was twice named All-State.

Even after experiencing tremendous success in his four years at Baylor, the Chattanooga native never second guessed where he would attend college for the next four years.

“Growing up in East Tennessee, everybody’s dream is running through that T,” McClendon said. “Being able to experience that, it will forever be engrained in my heart. I’m a proud Tennessean and a proud alumnus. It’s a part of the cloth of the fabric that I feel that I’m made of.”

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