Colorado State University Athletics
11/13/2026 2:00:00 PM | Football
Coach McClendon doubles as a student
Being late didn't equate to being behind to Jayden Fox. At least not staying behind.
The state's Gatorade Player of the Year last season, he arrived on campus midway through fall camp as a late addition to the roster. He felt welcomed. He also felt like there was no time like the present.
"I wanted to help the team out with anything I could do. Special teams, running back, anything," Fox said. "It's a good culture and when I came in here, everyone bonded. The coaching staff was amazing to me, and it just felt like home, where I needed to be at.
"It took a while. I was behind playbook. I had to catch up on the playbook, what all the coaches want and expect from players and what they expected from me. So the process was just long, but it was quick because we're already here. Three games left and it felt like it was here yesterday."
The running back was given his first carry at Texas State, good for 5 yards. He added his second last week against Boise State, that one good for 21 yards. The week prior, he was busy as the Rams' kick returner, gaining 126 yards on five returns, his longest covering 46 yards.
Early into his career and he already has a pair of explosive plays. He created those opportunities by doing whatever job he was given to the best of his ability, and for the most part, that's been scout-team work.
"I just have to keep making my teammates better. I'm helping the defense out, so I'm on the service team and I usually get the ball a lot, me and Amare (Gomez), and we just try and make our defense the best as we can, like tackling, scramble, everything. So my goal is just to be the best person I can be and help others continue to be the best they can be on the football field."
Colorado State coach Jim Mora said that's the quickest way for a young player to make an impression, a pathway which has been proven effective throughout time. Fox is the latest, but a lot of the younger Rams playing as of late first earned their stripes making those ahead of them on the depth chart.
Coaches know effort on scout team will translate to the playing field, often starting with special teams. Factor in the speed Fox possesses, people take note. Also in how he handled it all, late start to finish.
"When you're a freshman, the most important thing you can do is make that impression on scout team," Mora said. "When you're going against the ones, and run aggressively, and take care of the football, and take a little bit of a pounding that you take at times, and keep coming back with a great attitude and great effort … And that's what Jayden does."
Dual Role
Kenny McClendon is a coach, one who took on a lot more responsibility in the middle of the season than anticipated when he started to call the defense. The role was new to him, so it made him as much of a student as it did a coach at times.
Mora has always respected the coach and the man – definitely the family man, of late. He's also always appreciated the studious side of the young coach.
"He wants to—he just wants to learn. He wants to know everything. You know, we spent probably an hour and a half, just he and I this morning (Monday), right before I came down here to my office, just talking about just tiny little details that we need to continue to emphasize and clean up," Mora said. "And he's a tremendous student. And it's desperately important to him that he succeed and that he sees these players succeed. He's one of those guys that it's not about him.
"It's never really just been about Kenny. It's always about the players he's coaching and the team that he's coaching for and the school that he's working with. You know, how can I serve those three entities?"
Mora knows it hasn't been an easy spot to put McClendon in, and Saturday, he told him even if he didn't feel it in the moment, McClendon was going to see down the road this is the best thing that's happened to him at this point.
It will teach him to fight through something which is extremely difficult. To that end, Mora said he's been extremely proud of the way McClendon has taken on the task.
Getting Away
Mora was ecstatic to find out the team charter could take off and land at the Loveland-Fort Collins airport. Construction to improve the facility and the runways had forced the team to fly in and out of Denver this year.
Coming and going will provide a benefit, but to the coach, mostly getting there.
"I think the benefit's definitely on the front side. I think there's a benefit on the backside too, but the front side because we can spend more time here," he said. "We can move practice back a little bit if we want, give them some extra time to sleep in. We can meet after practice here before we get on the plane. We don't have to sit on a bus for an hour and 15, 20, 25 minutes. So I think our players are excited about that."
The state's Gatorade Player of the Year last season, he arrived on campus midway through fall camp as a late addition to the roster. He felt welcomed. He also felt like there was no time like the present.
"I wanted to help the team out with anything I could do. Special teams, running back, anything," Fox said. "It's a good culture and when I came in here, everyone bonded. The coaching staff was amazing to me, and it just felt like home, where I needed to be at.
"It took a while. I was behind playbook. I had to catch up on the playbook, what all the coaches want and expect from players and what they expected from me. So the process was just long, but it was quick because we're already here. Three games left and it felt like it was here yesterday."
The running back was given his first carry at Texas State, good for 5 yards. He added his second last week against Boise State, that one good for 21 yards. The week prior, he was busy as the Rams' kick returner, gaining 126 yards on five returns, his longest covering 46 yards.
Early into his career and he already has a pair of explosive plays. He created those opportunities by doing whatever job he was given to the best of his ability, and for the most part, that's been scout-team work.
"I just have to keep making my teammates better. I'm helping the defense out, so I'm on the service team and I usually get the ball a lot, me and Amare (Gomez), and we just try and make our defense the best as we can, like tackling, scramble, everything. So my goal is just to be the best person I can be and help others continue to be the best they can be on the football field."
Colorado State coach Jim Mora said that's the quickest way for a young player to make an impression, a pathway which has been proven effective throughout time. Fox is the latest, but a lot of the younger Rams playing as of late first earned their stripes making those ahead of them on the depth chart.
Coaches know effort on scout team will translate to the playing field, often starting with special teams. Factor in the speed Fox possesses, people take note. Also in how he handled it all, late start to finish.
"When you're a freshman, the most important thing you can do is make that impression on scout team," Mora said. "When you're going against the ones, and run aggressively, and take care of the football, and take a little bit of a pounding that you take at times, and keep coming back with a great attitude and great effort … And that's what Jayden does."
Dual Role
Kenny McClendon is a coach, one who took on a lot more responsibility in the middle of the season than anticipated when he started to call the defense. The role was new to him, so it made him as much of a student as it did a coach at times.
Mora has always respected the coach and the man – definitely the family man, of late. He's also always appreciated the studious side of the young coach.
"He wants to—he just wants to learn. He wants to know everything. You know, we spent probably an hour and a half, just he and I this morning (Monday), right before I came down here to my office, just talking about just tiny little details that we need to continue to emphasize and clean up," Mora said. "And he's a tremendous student. And it's desperately important to him that he succeed and that he sees these players succeed. He's one of those guys that it's not about him.
"It's never really just been about Kenny. It's always about the players he's coaching and the team that he's coaching for and the school that he's working with. You know, how can I serve those three entities?"
Mora knows it hasn't been an easy spot to put McClendon in, and Saturday, he told him even if he didn't feel it in the moment, McClendon was going to see down the road this is the best thing that's happened to him at this point.
It will teach him to fight through something which is extremely difficult. To that end, Mora said he's been extremely proud of the way McClendon has taken on the task.
Getting Away
Mora was ecstatic to find out the team charter could take off and land at the Loveland-Fort Collins airport. Construction to improve the facility and the runways had forced the team to fly in and out of Denver this year.
Coming and going will provide a benefit, but to the coach, mostly getting there.
"I think the benefit's definitely on the front side. I think there's a benefit on the backside too, but the front side because we can spend more time here," he said. "We can move practice back a little bit if we want, give them some extra time to sleep in. We can meet after practice here before we get on the plane. We don't have to sit on a bus for an hour and 15, 20, 25 minutes. So I think our players are excited about that."
Players Mentioned
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