Jacob Pardonnet '18 joined the Hope College Football coaching staff in April 2022. He followed James Ross III, who stepped down to accept an opportunity to coach linebackers at the University of Cincinnati, a Bowl Championship Series semi finalist last season, from Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell.
Prior to 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.
At Bryant, Pardonnet worked with the strong safeties during the 2021 season when the Bulldogs went 7-4 overall and recorded their highest win total in seven years.
Bryant’s winning percentage improved in each of his three seasons, going 4-8 during the 2019 season, 2-2 during a pandemic-shortened 2021 spring season, and 7-4.
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.
