BIOGRAPHY
Jacob William Brendel was born on September 10, 1992, in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a center in the National Football League.
Brendel attended Plano East Senior High School, where he played on the offensive line his junior and senior seasons and served as team captain, after playing defensive line as a freshman and sophomore. Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Brendel was listed as the No. 15 center prospect in his class.
Brendel became a fixture at center after spring practice and started all 14 games for the Bruins in 2012. He was named first-team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News, CBSSports.com, and Football Writers Association of America, and second-team Freshman All-America by College Football News.
During his junior season in 2014, he was team's most experienced offensive lineman. After missing the season opener against Virginia with a knee injury, he returned to start the rest of the season. Brendel was named to the All-Pac-12 second team. During his senior year, he again earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors. The three-time team captain finished his UCLA career with a school-record of 52 starts.
Brendel signed with the Dallas Cowboys on May 6, 2016. On October 12, 2016, Brendel was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 19, 2016.
On April 18, 2019, Brendel signed with the Denver Broncos.
On November 27, 2019, Brendel was signed by the Baltimore Ravens but was released three days later on November 30.
On February 7, 2020, Brendel was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. On August 6, Brendel announced he would opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 9, 2022, Brendel re-signed with the 49ers.