Minford's Pendleton continues navigating football journey at Rio Grande

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To say that Hunter Pendleton has dealt with adversity during his college football career would be an understatement.

However, on every occasion, the former Minford Falcon has seemingly come back with a stronger resolve.

That's been no different since Pendleton arrived on campus at Rio Grande.

The redshirt junior, now up to 6-5, 235, was one of three players to earn designation as a 2026 Rio Grande Spring Game captain, earning the honor alongside former Paint Valley standout Braylon Robertson and fellow lineman and Zane Trace graduate J.T. Jenkins.

Pendleton's hoping that the early returns will result in a big fall, and success that surpasses that of what he had at Kentucky Christian, where Pendleton tallied 50 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two-and-a-half sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a forced fumble for the Knights back in 2024.

But considering all that Pendleton has been through so far in his career, the former Falcon is simply proud to still be carrying out his dream of being a college football player.

"It means something much deeper than competing at a higher level," Pendleton said. "It makes me proud that I am honoring the kid that fell in love with the sport."

Pendleton, who initially began playing soccer at the age of five, didn't take to that sport well.

As Pendleton says best, he just liked to wrap people up.

"It didn’t take long for my parents (April and Tom) to realize that all I really wanted to do was tackle people," Pendleton said. "That’s when they knew football was my sport, so they signed me up for flag football at six."

From there, Pendleton's love for the game only grew — and by the time the future Minford stalwart put on the pads in the third grade, he was completely hooked and had his sights set on a dream that he would ultimately see through.

In his final two seasons at Minford, Pendleton finished as a two-time First-Team All-Southeast District selection at linebacker and earned All-Ohio accolades as a result, claiming Third-Team All-Ohio honors in Division V in 2021 and Second-Team All-Ohio accolades in 2022.

The disruptive and destructive, sideline-to-sideline linebacker finished his final season in a Minford uniform by amassing 153 tackles — yes, you read that right — with five tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and three sacks to boot as the team's leader on the defensive side of the football and its best player.

"Minford gave me an incredible opportunity, and I’m deeply thankful for every coach who invested in me," Pendleton said. "My senior year, Coaches Brent Daniels and Josh Matiz put a lot of leadership on my shoulders, and that trust helped shape my confidence in ways that still impact me today."

Pendleton's strong finish to his senior season led to attention from NCAA Division II, III and NAIA programs, most notably Alderson-Broaddus, a NCAA Division II school in Philippi, W. Va.

All seemed to be well.

Then Pendleton got a phone call.

Three days before Pendleton was to report for fall camp, the news broke that Alderson-Broaddus would be closing. According to the Inside Higher Education website, Alderson-Broaddus had operated at a financial deficit in nine out of its last 10 years in operation, and at the time of its closure, carried tens of millions of dollars in liabilities.

Pendleton's college football future was in jeopardy.

Quickly, Pendleton reached out to former Kentucky Christian Director of Football Operations Chad Vanderhoof, who is now the Football Operations Coordinator at Shawnee State. Vanderhoof got Pendleton on Kentucky Christian's campus the following day.

Fate, seemingly, worked out in Pendleton's favor.

After making 16 tackles, a tackle-and-a-half for a loss and an interception as a true freshman, Pendleton entrenched himself in the starting lineup and posted the strong 2024 campaign that he did at KCU — 50 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two-and-a-half sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a forced fumble — in the process.

But after hearing about Rio Grande and the RedStorm starting up a program of its own, Pendleton felt his heart tugging in that direction.

"I heard the announcement that Rio was starting a football program and joining the same conference," Pendleton said. "I knew immediately that I wanted to be part of its history, so I decided to transfer. I visited a few great schools, but ultimately chose Rio Grande."

So the Minford native headed back to the Buckeye State.

Again, Pendleton ran into a road block. Because he was transferring from one Appalachian Athletic Conference football member to another AAC football member — both Kentucky Christian and Rio Grande compete in the AAC for football — he had to automatically sit for a year as part of Appalachian Athletic Conference and NAIA transfer rules.

That just motivated Pendleton to work on himself — and be prepared for when his time came.

"During that redshirt year, I focused on training, developing my skills, and preparing for the moment I’d finally get to show what I could do," Pendleton said.

That opportunity came this spring, when former Marshall football player and Philadelphia Eagles long snapper Mike Bartrum was named as the head coach of the program.

Within four months from the time that Bartrum was named head coach of the Rio Grande program in December 2025, Pendleton was named as one of the three Spring Game captains alongside Robertson and Jenkins.

"Coming into the spring semester, Rio Grande had a coaching change, so I had to learn a whole new staff again, but I welcomed Coach Bartrum and bought into the process," Pendleton said. "Throughout the spring, I worked hard to perfect my craft on the field and in the weight room. When the team voted for a Spring Game captain, my name was chosen by a majority of the team. I was extremely grateful for that trust, and I haven’t taken the opportunity for granted heading into this season."

It's led to a serious opportunity to contribute for a program that sits less than 45 minutes from where his football journey all began.

"I’ve definitely grown as a person, and it’s reshaped both my mindset and the way I present myself," Pendleton said. "My faith in God has grounded me, and the encouragement from my family and my girlfriend (Kendyll) has been a huge part of that growth. I’m more motivated than ever to keep growing. I thank God for the journey and for every season I’ve been able to play this sport I love."

With his college football journey over halfway complete, Pendleton, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in business management with a minor in information technology, wants to put together a pathway of substance while at Rio.

"Looking ahead, I want to leave a meaningful legacy at Rio Grande, one that goes beyond numbers and shows who I am as a person," Pendleton said. "This place has given me some of my best friends, and I’ll always be grateful to the school for the relationships it brought into my life."

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