Former Jets defensive tackle Steve McLendon graduated from Carroll High School in Ozark, Alabama, in 2004 having recorded 324 tackles – including 64 for loss and 12 sacks – during his prep career.
Named first-team All-Region as a junior and senior, he left as the school's MVP in football, basketball, and track.
In March, 22 years later, he made his way back home with 13 years of NFL experience, five of those with the Green & White, to become a first-time head coach.
"I was born and raised here, and I think the opportunity just presented itself through the word of mouth. I came for an interview, and it was me and a couple other candidates, and they called and said I had it," said McLendon, who retired from the league following the 2021 season and has owned and operated Team MVP Gym in Flowery Branch, Georgia, for the past seven years.
"I look at it like this. I have been pouring so much into so many other people outside of my hometown, and I was thinking it's time for me to go back and do the exact same thing that I've been doing while I've been on the road for so many years.
"I was coaching (the defensive line) at Buford High School in Georgia for the past two years. But before I even finished playing, I was already coaching my own 7-on-7 stuff, and I've just kind of added to that for the past seven, eight years.
"This is a family community for me, and my family and the community here has been super excited for me to come back home and actually be able to pour into these kids like I have been doing for so many years in Georgia and other places. I'm excited for it. I'm excited about opportunity."
Carroll's players, the Eagles, who had only watched one of their own reach the pinnacle of professional football, now have the opportunity to learn firsthand from McLendon. And his early message to them has left no doubt about what's in store.
"We're going to focus on the outcome and not the obstacles," McLendon said. "We understand obstacles are going to come our way, but the outcome is always to be successful in everything that we do.
"I think that's the biggest thing right now, just trying to defeat those obstacles so I can continue to just focus on the outcome. Those things are things that we've always got to stay in focus.
"But I know how to eliminate the distraction of the obstacles so it won't take my focus. That's what made me successful when I played in the NFL for so long, because I knew how to eliminate. And that's what I'm doing now, just eliminating those things and growing."
What McLendon hopes players will take away from having him as their coach is just as straightforward.
"Learn how to be a champion in every aspect of the word," he said. "The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you eat, the way you sleep, the way you respect others, the way you do everything.
"Play fast, play hard, play smart, and play together as brothers. That's the message that I preach to them every single day. Stay focused, stay driven, and understand you have one life and we're going to live that life to the fullest."
McLendon's life as a Jet began in 2016 when he signed as an unrestricted free agent following seven years with Pittsburgh for one reason – New York's then-head coach Todd Bowles.
"Me and him had a conversation, and he asked me to come there. He wanted to do some special things," McLendon said. "Not only just seeing what they did the year before when they went 10-6, they had other phenomenal coaches on the defensive staff, they had phenomenal players. But ultimately, I wanted to play for Coach Bowles.
"I knew I would come in being a leader of a young room. I knew that I would come in and be a starter, as well. But the biggest thing is I knew was that he was bringing a special team together. And the word – together – always rings a loud volume with me because if you look at the word, it means: Together Everyone Achieves More. So when he said he's bringing a special team together, I was on my way."
Posting a career-high 3.5 sacks in his first year with the Jets, he spent the next three full seasons with New York, where he was selected by his teammates to receive the Dennis Byrd Most Inspirational Player Award. This honor made him the first three-time recipient of the award in Jets history.
After six games into his fifth season – during which New York allowed the second-lowest rushing average in the NFL at 3.95 yards-per-carry – McLendon was traded to Tampa Bay, where he was reunited with Bowles, who after being let go by the Jets the previous year, was the Buccaneers' defensive coordinator.
"I tell everybody this to this day; 'Jets fans are diehard fans. No matter if they win or lose. No matter what, they are always going to be there to support you. They're great, phenomenal fans,'" McLendon said. "And hopefully, one day they can win a championship just for the fans because there's no other fanbase like Jets fans."
McLendon, who will now, of course, be standing before a smaller fanbase on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons in Ozark, plans to apply lessons he picked up from Bowles during his time with the Jets and Buccaneers to his coaching style.
"I'm going to use a lot of what I learned with Todd Bowles, pretty much everything. The way I run my defense, my practices. How I show up before everybody else," McLendon said. "The overall man that he is. He's going to coach you, he's going to teach you, he's going to train you, he's going to be an ultimate full package. That's the same thing for a lot of other coaches that I came into contact with, but Todd Bowles played a great role in my life."
