How tall are you, Brent McClendon?
"Five-eight," came the reply from the Georgia State defensive back, followed by a pause. "And a half."
McClendon knows plenty about being the little guy. He was the youngest of three brothers by seven years. When the elder two played sports in the backyard, their parents said Brent had to play, too.
"We didn't particularly enjoy it at the time," said Bryan, the middle brother who played wide receiver for Georgia and is now the Bulldogs' running backs coach.
At 175 pounds, McClendon has proven plenty big enough for the Panthers (4-2), who play North Carolina Central Saturday in the Georgia Dome. In the program's inaugural season, he has emerged as one of the team's best players, noteworthy considering he wasn't even recruited.
"I've always been told I was too little to do a lot of stuff," said McClendon, a redshirt freshman. "I love to prove people wrong."
Defensive coordinator John Thompson believes enough in McClendon to put him in a position where he is asked not to merely obey the scheme but to trust his instincts and knowledge. The position, called "Gator," is a hybrid of cornerback, safety, outside linebacker and blitzer.
Last Saturday's win over Savannah State was McClendon's first time at Gator. He produced an early fumble recovery that helped launch the Panthers' 55-21 win.
"The best ones, the guys that produce [at Gator] are guys that really just have a feel for the game, don't play robotic at all," Thompson said.
If not height, McClendon can thank his family for that trait. McClendon's father Willie also played for Georgia, earning All-SEC honors as a running back in 1978 before a four-year NFL career.
"Brent was obviously around the game a lot more than probably your average kid growing up just because of what his family did," said Bryan, whose older brother Brandon also played high school football.
When Brent was in middle school, he spent spring break with Bryan as he went through spring practice, going to position meetings and practice.
"He was a gym rat from day one," Willie said of his youngest.
After graduating from Mays High, McClendon intended to play at Valdosta State in the fall of 2008, but had second thoughts and never enrolled. He instead enrolled at Georgia State for the spring 2009 semester, as coaches were filling the school's first football recruiting class, with the intention of making the team as a walk-on. At a tryout open to the student body, he did.
"He had a lot of swagger," Thompson said. "You could tell he'd been around the game."
McClendon eventually won a scholarship and coaches put him on the team's leadership council. On game tape, he grades out as well as any player on the defense, Thompson said.
One of the smallest Panthers is rarely difficult to find.
Said McClendon, "Whoever can play, can play. That's how I see it."
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