With more scholarship offers than he probably cared to count, Jelani Jenkins knew he was in an enviable position when it came time to narrow the field down to one. Because there were so many he could almost tailor his particular situation to any one of a list of schools that read like a who’s who in college football but the one school that stood out is the one that had the most crowded depth chart. That might have been a big deal except that depth charts and promises of playing time never factored in his final equation.
When it came time to decide, Jenkins, the nation’s top outside linebacker prospect from Our Lady of Good Counsel in Wheaton, Maryland, chose the University of Florida, in part because he thought Urban Meyer had all the qualities he was looking for in a head coach but also because the only football promises Meyer made were about opportunities to compete for playing time and championships.
“I wanted a place where I could come and compete,” Jenkins said Friday afternoon after arriving at Florida’s practice facility where the Gators were going through their final drills before Saturday’s Orange and Blue Game (1 p.m., Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Sun Sports TV). “One of the things that sold me about Coach Meyer was that he didn’t promise that I would come in here and start or that I would see the field instantly. He only promised that I could come in here and compete and that the rest was up to me. That’s what I was looking for.”
The chance to compete combined with the track Meyer has the Florida football on and the academic opportunities offered by the university outweighed any promises any other coach could make. In Jenkins eyes, Florida had it all and that made the final selection a rather easy choice.
“I thought Florida had all the things that were important to me,” Jenkins said. “The academics are excellent and Coach Meyer’s record shows you he’s going to have a team that competes for championships and that means you have to compete for a job.”
The fear of competition drove at least one highly regarded recruit to pull his commitment from Florida to sign somewhere else back in February. That’s a recurring theme every year when recruiting season hits its peak in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day. Some kids seek out the coaches that promise the most when it comes to seeing the field early but it never occurred to Jenkins to demand playing time or to gravitate toward the coach offering the most playing time.
The way Jenkins figured it, Florida wouldn’t be in position to compete for championships on a consistent basis if not for competition for playing time up and down the roster. As he spoke about competing for playing time when he arrives on campus for good in the summer, he sounded a bit like Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, whose motto is what must be done eventually must be done immediately.
“Even if you know you’re going to come in and play right away because of graduation or something like that, if it’s a good program, they’ll sign someone behind you and you’ll have to compete,” Jenkins said. “At some point you’re going to have to compete anyway, so why be afraid to compete right away?”
Jenkins expects to compete immediately even though he’s a freshman and even though Florida’s linebacker corps is three-deep and solid at every position. Jenkins is 6-1, 215 and he can fly to the football. He runs a 4.45 40 and he’s only begun to fill out his frame.
“I just turned 17,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of growth left. I’m really looking forward to getting down here and working with (Florida strength and conditioning) Coach (Mickey) Marotti. I know he’ll make me stronger and it will be interesting to see just how much more growing I do.”
Along with the other signees from Florida’s recruiting class of 2009, Jenkins is in Gainesville for the weekend along with his parents. Signees, parents and players will all meet after the Orange and Blue Game, an important time in Meyer’s overall scheme.
Meyer wants players and their families to feel that they belong to an extended family that includes the parents and players of current Gators and the coaching staff and their families. The atmosphere that Meyer fosters was one of the key factors when Jenkins was making his final college decision.
“He’s a very personable coach who listens first,” Jenkins said. “It’s obvious he knows how to win but I like the way he does it by creating a family atmosphere around the program. That was pretty obvious when I came here for my official visit. All the players welcomed me here and made me feel right at home, like I was part of their family. That was important to me.”
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Jelani Jenkins is already thinking ahead to what happens next. He has about six more weeks of high school remaining and then about a month before he reports to the University of Florida for Summer B. He has formulated a plan about his future both on and off the field.
“I have a plan in mind,” he said. “Really, you have to have a plan. It’s too easy to fall off the path so you have to take the time, think things out and come up with a plan to keep you on path to reach all your goals.”
By nature, he is a leader by both word and deed. He chooses words carefully because he wants to set the right example. His deep, abiding Christian faith and constant attention to the state of his own spiritual well being combined with his fierce, competitive nature on the football field have created comparisons to a Florida football legend that is still in the making.
“The defensive Tebow” is what some are calling Jelani Jenkins. That is a tall order to fill, but Jenkins actually welcomes the comparisons. He admires Tebow for the toughness he shows on the field; his burning desire to win and ability to almost will the Gators to greatness; and his ability to keep everything in its proper perspective.
“I’ve heard that before,” he said. “I’ve heard people call me ‘the defensive Tebow’ and I don’t mind it. If you’re going to be compared to someone, why not Tim Tebow? I’ve got a long way to go before you could really compare me to him but if I work as hard as he does and keep everything in focus where it should be, eventually I think I could be that guy who leads the defense and leads the team the way Tebow leads now.”
With two national championships in his four years on the Florida job, Urban Meyer knows that football teams are built on the broad shoulders of young men willing to step forward and lead. Meyer struck gold in 2006 when he brought Tim Tebow into the fold. It may be too early to tell since Jelani Jenkins has never actually played a game for the Gators, but if talent combined with character, determination and a willingness to lead are indicators, then Florida may have its next great leader.