Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 16-14vs Utah State | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#18
Kai McClendon
Sophomore defensive lineman on Washington's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 334 lb · Gulfport, MS · Gulfport HS
CFB Index 49 · #147 of 285 interior linemenLow confidenceTransferred Mississippi State → Washington for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
1 TFL · 3 tackles
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 3 tackles, vs Utah State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 defensive lineman on Washington's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Mississippi State in 2024.
- Transferred from Mississippi State to Washington in 2026.
Kai McClendon
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Kai McClendon has played for two head coaches across two seasons and two programs. One game to point at: 3 tackles, 1 TFL against Utah State — Week 2, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
202412 games
- Signed with Mississippi State3-star out of Gulfport
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Washington
2025Mississippi State
2026Washington
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Mississippi State2-10HC: Jeff Lebby · Run-leaning
2026Washington2-0HC: Jedd Fisch · Pass-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 3.0 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jedd Fisch
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
49 · #147 of 285 interior linemen
Three-star recruit. Now #147 at the position.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Washington | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 30 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 33 | 7 | 3.0 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
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
DNA match
Player DNA
Nose Anchor
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
IDL
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Caden Haws’s 2022 season.
Matches Caden on
Hurry rate
TFL rate
Sack rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Maraad Watson's freshman season at Syracuse (2024).
83%match
Matches Maraad on
Weight
TFL rate
Sack rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Kai McClendon
Background
Spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons at Mississippi State … after playing in 12 games as a true freshman in 2024, missed the 2025 season due to an injury suffered in the spring of 2025 … played in all 12 games in 2024, starting the final five of the season, as a true freshman … finished the 2024 seaso...
The defensive line · Washington
- #48Jacob Lane8 tackles for loss · 2025
- #33Darin Conley4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #91Isaiah Ward3 tackles for loss · 2025
- #52Devin Hyde1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #18Kai McClendon1 game · 2026
14 more on the roster · Washington team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology