When Lindenwood defensive end Kobe McClendon is not knocking down quarterbacks, you may find him knocking down pins at a local bowling alley.
“I’m a pretty good bowler,” McClendon said. “I have my days.”
The St. Mary’s alum is helping a young Lions’ defense rack up good days this preseason as Lindenwood prepares for its season opener, which takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday, August 28 at St. Thomas (MN).
The Lindenwood defense, which endured a rash of injuries at the linebacker and defensive line positions during the 2024 season, surrendered 27.7 points per game and yielded more than 440 yards in seven of 12 games. The attrition in the front seven throughout last season made positional depth a point of emphasis coming into 2025.
“That’s where we basically got pummeled last year, in our position groups,” Lindenwood coach Jed Stugart said. “College football is all about depth, especially in the trenches and that’s what we had to address in the offseason.”
McClendon, who was named a Stat Perform FCS All-American as a freshman, has accumulated 101 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in three seasons at Lindenwood. In addition to working on his own footwork and technique, he is mentoring a young crop of defensive lineman for the upcoming season.
“I’m trying to build the young guys up and make sure they’re prepared and ready to play,” McClendon said. “We’re doing a good job communicating with each other. Up front, we’re collapsing the pocket better and the (defensive backs) have been covering so we can get those sacks.”
One of those young defensive linemen is his brother Ke’Andre, a fellow St. Mary’s graduate who occupies the locker right beside Kobe in the Lindenwood locker room.
“It means a lot to me,” Kobe said. “I had a chance to play with my big brother (Keishiawa) my freshman year of high school (at Soldan), but this is the first time I’ve played on the same team as Ke’Andre. I’m coaching him up, trying to set the right example for him, showing him what Lindenwood football looks like.”
Despite being decimated by injuries, the young Lindenwood defense showed impressive growth at the end of last season. After a 52-10 loss to Tennessee Tech that saw the Lions surrender 519 yards of total offense, the defense surrendered only 234 yards in a 24-12 victory the following week against No. 6-ranked Southeast Missouri State.
“We went into that Tennessee Tech game very depleted, and it was a great testament to our young guys stepping up and playing so well against SEMO,” Stugart said.
Another strong performance in the season finale against nationally-ranked Tennessee-Martin, a 33-26 overtime loss, provided the Lions a boost of confidence as they entered spring ball.
“I always believe adversity reveals character and the loss against Tennessee Tech was one of those pivotal games,” Stugart said. “With only a few games left, the season can go one of two ways. You can shut it down and try to get it over with, but how our guys responded, how our coaches took a team that was a little beaten psychologically and flipping a mindset in really three days of practice, it showed our players that we can compete in this league, and that momentum carried us into the offseason.”
The Lions went 4-4 in conference play with three losses by a one score margin. Despite being predicted to finish eighth out of nine teams in the OVC-Big South preseason poll last season, Lindenwood placed fifth.
This year, Lindenwood is projected to finish fourth in the OVC-Big South preseason poll. The appearance in the top half of the conference rankings is something that Stugart and the Lions have pocketed in its proper perspective.
“We’re appreciative that the coaches in the conference voted us in that position, and I agree that we should be able to take some strides forward, but we don’t put a lot of stock in preseason polls. It comes down to what our guys do on the field, week in and week out.”
McClendon knows a lot will depend upon how the defense performs. Along with senior linebacker Devon Edwards and senior cornerback Jayden Patrick, the Lions have strong veteran leadership at all levels of the defense as they try to bowl over opposing offenses and pin down victories.
“Last year we played a lot of close games,” McClendon said. “This year, we just have to prepare game-by-game, us-versus-us. We have to play hard and play together.”
