Ken Lamendola recognized as one of 35 under 35 by AFCA
12/9/2024 11:06:00 AM | Football
Air Force inside linebackers coach Ken Lamendola has been selected by the AFCA for its 2025 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. This year's class was chosen from a field of over 200 highly qualified applicants.
The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. Selected participants are invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance.
Members of the 2024 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute receive a stipend to assist with expenses incurred while attending the AFCA Convention. They will be published in AFCA Magazine, AFCA Insider weekly email blast, and/or have their articles and videos added to the AFCA Educational Library. Additionally, participants will be placed on the AFCA Foundation Committee and become a part of a prestigious network of rising coaches in the profession along with many other great benefits.
To be eligible, applicants had to be born on or after January 1, 1989, and must be currently serving as a high school head coach, two-year college full-time assistant or head coach, or NAIA/NCAA (all divisions) full-time assistant or head coach.
Lamendola completed his third year in 2024 as inside linebackers coach at Air Force. Lamendola has had an immediate impact, helping to lead a defense that ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense (254.5), second in passing defense (159.1), third in scoring defense (13.4) and sixth in rushing defense (95.3) last season.
Lamendola came to the Academy from Furman, where he spent five years as the Paladins' inside linebackers coach and three as recruiting coordinator. Prior to Furman, he coached at Air Force Academy Preparatory School, where he coached inside linebackers for two seasons from 2015-17.
Lamendola's playing career spanned five seasons (2007-11) and was highlighted by a sophomore campaign that saw him rack up 118 tackles and earn honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference honors as an inside linebacker before injuries curtailed his playing time.
The Westlake, Ohio, product totaled 24 tackles before a season-ending knee injury as the 2009 Air Force squad defeated 25th-ranked Houston, 45-20, to win the Armed Forces Bowl. The next year he was a member of a Falcons' squad that went 9-4 and beat Georgia Tech, 14-7, in the Independence Bowl, and in 2011 he served as team captain in helping Air Force capture the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, which is awarded annually based on head-to-head results among the three service academies.
Lamendola is a December 2011 graduate of the Academy, where he earned a bachelor's in management. He has completed graduate level studies in United States Air Force Fundamentals of Acquisition Management at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and holds a master's degree in human resources from the University of Oklahoma.
Congratulations to the 2025 Class!
The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. Selected participants are invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance.
Members of the 2024 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute receive a stipend to assist with expenses incurred while attending the AFCA Convention. They will be published in AFCA Magazine, AFCA Insider weekly email blast, and/or have their articles and videos added to the AFCA Educational Library. Additionally, participants will be placed on the AFCA Foundation Committee and become a part of a prestigious network of rising coaches in the profession along with many other great benefits.
To be eligible, applicants had to be born on or after January 1, 1989, and must be currently serving as a high school head coach, two-year college full-time assistant or head coach, or NAIA/NCAA (all divisions) full-time assistant or head coach.
Lamendola completed his third year in 2024 as inside linebackers coach at Air Force. Lamendola has had an immediate impact, helping to lead a defense that ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense (254.5), second in passing defense (159.1), third in scoring defense (13.4) and sixth in rushing defense (95.3) last season.
Lamendola came to the Academy from Furman, where he spent five years as the Paladins' inside linebackers coach and three as recruiting coordinator. Prior to Furman, he coached at Air Force Academy Preparatory School, where he coached inside linebackers for two seasons from 2015-17.
Lamendola's playing career spanned five seasons (2007-11) and was highlighted by a sophomore campaign that saw him rack up 118 tackles and earn honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference honors as an inside linebacker before injuries curtailed his playing time.
The Westlake, Ohio, product totaled 24 tackles before a season-ending knee injury as the 2009 Air Force squad defeated 25th-ranked Houston, 45-20, to win the Armed Forces Bowl. The next year he was a member of a Falcons' squad that went 9-4 and beat Georgia Tech, 14-7, in the Independence Bowl, and in 2011 he served as team captain in helping Air Force capture the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, which is awarded annually based on head-to-head results among the three service academies.
Lamendola is a December 2011 graduate of the Academy, where he earned a bachelor's in management. He has completed graduate level studies in United States Air Force Fundamentals of Acquisition Management at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and holds a master's degree in human resources from the University of Oklahoma.
Congratulations to the 2025 Class!
| Name | School | Position |
| Matt Adkins | Arizona | Offensive Pass Game Coordinator, Tight Ends |
| Tyler Allen | West Virginia | Quarterbacks |
| Ben Arbuckle | Oklahoma | Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks |
| Aaron Bohl | Wyoming | Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers |
| Brayle Brown | Colorado State-Pueblo | Offensive Coordinator |
| Mike Brown | Notre Dame | Wide Receivers |
| Andy Capone | Weddington H.S. (NC) | Head Coach |
| Ryan Clanton | Iowa State | Offensive Run Game Coordinator, Offensive Line |
| AJ Cooper | Oregon State | Inside Linebackers |
| Drew Davis | St. Thomas (Fla.) | Quarterbacks |
| Akeem Davis | UNLV | Cornerbacks |
| Aaron Fierbaugh | Liberty | Safeties |
| Will Fleming | Lamar | Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks |
| Greg Holsworth | Henderson State | Head Coach |
| Savon Huggins | Boston College | Running Backs |
| Ken Lamendola | Air Force | Inside Linebackers |
| Nick Lezynski | Vanderbilt | Defensive Run Game Coordinator, Linebackers |
| Vince Luvara | Hampden-Sydney | Head Coach |
| D'Anton Lynn | Southern California | Defensive Coordinator |
| Dexter McCoil | Texas State | Defensive Coordinator |
| Conner McQueen | Incarnate Word | Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks |
| Rod Ojong | Indiana | Cornerbacks |
| Grant Olson | North Dakota State | Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers |
| Ryan Olson | South Dakota State | Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line |
| Adam Pilapil | Colorado State | Linebackers |
| Arthur Ray Jr | Howard | Offensive Line |
| Marco Regalado | UT-Rio Grande Valley | Running Backs |
| James Ross | Houston | Defensive Ends, Outside Linebackers |
| Myles Russ | Keiser | Head Coach |
| Ra'Shaad Samples | Oregon | Assistant Head Coach, Running Backs |
| Jericho Silvernail | Long Beach City | Special Teams Coordinator, Tight Ends |
| Christian Smith | Northwestern | Defensive Line |
| DeMarcus Van Dyke | South Florida | Cornerbacks |
| Stanton Weber | Toledo | Special Teams Coordinator |
| Kodi Whitfield | UCLA | Special Teams Coordinator, Cornerbacks |
| *Payton Gibbs | Naples (Fla.) | Defensive Analyst (Honorary Member) |
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