The 2020 season for Jake Kirkendall is his third year on the Vanderbilt staff. He serves Derek Mason’s program in the key role of director of football operations.
Kirkendall helps oversee and direct the daily management of the Vanderbilt football effort, working to build cohesiveness and unity among all aspects of the program: student-athletes, coaches, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, personnel and recruiting, video, equipment, player development, academics, compliance, facilities and athletics administration.
The relationship between Mason and Kirkendall dates back more than a decade when Mason served as an offensive assistant at Ohio.
Kirkendall, who has spent a decade in collegiate football operations, also is responsible for the Commodores’ team travel and logistics, and coordination of game day operations.
Kirkendall came to Vanderbilt from Tennessee, where he served as director of football operations during the 2017 season. His duties in Knoxville ranged from organizing all areas of team travel to serving as a liaison between the football program and various areas within the Tennessee athletic department and campus. He was promoted to the Tennessee director of football operations post one year after joining the Volunteer program in an associate director of operations role.
A native of Lucas, Ohio, Kirkendall earned invaluable experience during an eight-year stint as director of football operations at Eastern Michigan. He was the point of contact between the Eastern Michigan football program and athletic administrators, compliance, academic services, financial aid, student housing and dining, admissions, equipment, sports information, athletic training, conditioning, ticket office, facilities, purchasing, Eastern Michigan’s president’s office, Mid-American Conference officials and NFL scouts.
He started his collegiate career in 2007, serving one year as director of football operations and video coordinator at Dartmouth.
Kirkendall is a graduate of Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree in sports management in 2007.
Kirkendall and the former Marissa Beltowski were married in 2017.