Hope College

Jacob Pardonnet '18 served on the the Hope College Football coaching staff as defensive coordinator from 2022-2025. He followed James Ross III, who stepped down to accept an opportunity to coach linebackers at the University of Cincinnati, a Bowl Championship Series semifinalist last season, from Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell.

Before coming to Hope, Pardonnet spent the past three seasons on the coaching staff at NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

In 2018, Pardonnet worked as a student assistant coach at Hope, working with defensive backs and safeties. Hope posted an 8-2 record. As a student-athlete, Pardonnet played four seasons for the Flying Dutchmen (2014-17) and earned All-MIAA Football Second Team honors as a senior and a junior. A three-year starter, Pardonnet graduated from Hope with a degree in economics and business management. He made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll three times. Pardonnet helped the Flying Dutchmen engineer the greatest single-season turnaround in team history in 2016. Hope finished with a 7-3 record after going 2-8 in 2015. In 2017, the Flying Dutch went 8-2.  In 55 career games, Pardonnet totaled 189 tackles, 7 ½ sacks, and 21 tackles for loss.