NG John Jenkins changes tune, says he’ll definitely return for senior season
DE DeAngelo Tyson (L-R), LB Michael Gilliard and OLB Sterling Bailey all had to watch practice from the sidelines Friday due to injuries. That's OL Xzavier Ward in the background. (Photo by Chip Towers)
TAMPA – Upon further review, Georgia’s John Jenkins said Friday he’s definitely coming back for his senior season.
The 6-foot-3, 351-pound noseguard has waffled about whether or not to turn pro after his one and only season with the Bulldogs. He requested an NFL draft evaulation earlier this month and said earlier this week he was going to give the pros serious consideration.
But then Jenkins said before Friday morning’s practice he’d decided he’d definitely remain a Bulldog another season.
“That’s where I belong, I belong at Georgia another year,” said Jenkins, a six-game starter this season. “I believe at the end of next year I’d have no choice but to be ready.”
Jenkins said he had not yet received his draft grade back from the NFL’s advisory board. But he said didn’t need to see what it said.
“Unless it’s first round, then I’d be a dumb guy not to go out,” he said. “But I don’t think that’s what I’m going to get. I think everybody knows I need to come back and polish up more with Coach [Rodney] Garner behind me. That’s what I need to do.”
With his size and athleticism, Jenkins is clearly an eventual NFL player. He has progressed exponentially during his six months at UGA. He went from playing behind sophomore Kwame Geathers to becoming a six-game starter. He enters the Outback Bowl with 28 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 10 quarterback pressures. All are exemplary numbers at a position primarily designed to tie up interior blockers.
Jenkins is one of several Georgia underclassmen considering entering the NFL draft. Safety Bacarri Rambo said Thursday he had received a third-round draft grade from the NFL and was still “50-50″ on the decision whether to stay or go. Tight end Orson Charles is also thinking about it, as is outside linebacker Cornelius Washington and a few other players.
The Bulldogs have the ultimate resource at their disposal in Todd Grantham, who spent 11 years in the NFL before coming to Georgia as defensive coordinator. He sees it as a fairly simple decision for these young men.
“If you’re not a top 15 pick you should stay in school,” Grantham stated flatly. “If you’re a top 15 pick, the amount of money that you make you can justify it. But if you’re not, you should work to become that. Because if you look at the guaranteed money you make up at the top is so great, you can actually make money by staying. You go from being a middle second-round pick to a bottom first- or top-second-round pick, you’re talking hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. You can make that by working hard.”
That said, Grantham said he doesn’t flat out tell a player he should stay or go.
“Each individual is different and each individual has to make their own decisions,” he said. “We’re going to do what’s best for them.
“I’ll talk to them and give them my view as far as pluses and minuses for all good players and just lay it out there for them. I want to make sure they make an educated, wise decision that’s best for them and their future. But if you’re not a top 15 pick you need to be working to become that.”
– Chip Towers
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410 comments Add your comment
JB
December 30th, 2011
12:55 pm
Would love to be in Jacksonville and see the expressions on the faces when Muschamp is oh for 2 against the Dawgs. He might want to send his family to his Daddy’s in North Georgia for a while.
WDE
December 30th, 2011
12:57 pm
@jarvis no I have concerns about the OL next year too…but I’m a little less concerned as I know that we have a good OL coach I didn’t know that last year.
DC
December 30th, 2011
12:58 pm
He’s a decent player but he is no Nick Fairley..I’ll wait for the..”yeah he doesn’t play dirty” typical remarks..even though UGA fans wanted to compare him to Nick fairley before the season started….
KBP
December 30th, 2011
1:06 pm
Tony, the Dawgs could accomplish the 3 things you listed and still not play for NC. I think they need to be at least preseason top 10 and don’t lose. Often times if a team is worse than preseason top 10, then too many teams would have to lose multiple games for them to get a shot. So I think preseason top 10 along with your 3 things may give the Dawgs a shot. Agree?
On another note, did anyone notice on the 12 days of Christmas budweiser commercial, they skipped day 7.
Vampire Bill
December 30th, 2011
1:08 pm
Call Renne Curran and ask him how leaving early worked out for him?
big john 340 lbs
December 30th, 2011
1:10 pm
i’ve always felt when we signed orson and murray that they would win a nc before they left.
orson is a team guy, so i think he’ll come back to finish some biness’.
WDE
December 30th, 2011
1:10 pm
@DC I respectfully disagree I think JJ is every bit as good as Fairley was his first year at Auburn but not as good yet as Fairely was his last year….I think he can be but time will tell.Fairley in 2009 recorded 13 games with two starts … Totaled 28 tackles with 3.5 TFLs and a couple of sacks. …
Tech Troll 13
December 30th, 2011
1:12 pm
You’re right jarvis. 3 starters gone from the OL with no depth this year. Can’t win BIG without great OL.
BTW CTG will be back in the NFL soon.
Should Earn It
December 30th, 2011
1:12 pm
Not so sure…..
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:14 pm
Dad bought season tickets for all of us in 1957. My first memory is of Fran Tarkenton and dad saying watch # 10 throw the ball. He would put it in the air when no one else did. It was something to watch.
1967.
Again, what makes you such a greater fan than I ?
YOU DO NOT EVEN GO TO THE GAMES
WDE
Georgia nose tackle addresses his NFL future | CollegeFootballTalk
December 30th, 2011
1:14 pm
[...] not high enough. Jenkins said he hadn’t received his draft evaluation yet, but he didn’t get the indication he was first-round material. [...]
tony
December 30th, 2011
1:15 pm
jarvis, when a coach tells you that the season is not riding on one game, he is actually insinuating that it is not a must win game.
“It is a big build up for an opening game I think because of who we are playing, where we are playing and maybe a little bit of the uniform issue and all that kind of thing. So there’s an awful lot of hype going into this ball game compared to some other opening games. I don’t personally think that the season is riding on the one game. It’s really not. It’s a game that we absolutely want to win. It’s a game that we expect to win. We talk a lot about winning the Eastern Division, and that is the one thing that we can control. It really has no bearing on the Southeastern Conference race, so it doesn’t really get in the way of that goal or the goal of winning the Southeastern Conference. What I do think it’s going to do is give us a pretty good feel of what we are made of right away. It’s also going to be a great teacher of what it’s going to take to win in our league down the road. I think it’s very positive that we are playing the game, and I certainly would love to win it because we can create some really good momentum from that but I don’t think the season is riding in the balance.”
http://www.foxsportssouth.com/08/30/11/Mark-Richt-unfiltered-Georgia-Boise-prev/landing.html?blockID=556198
The next link is about how Mark Richt veiwed the SC game.
http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2011/09/06/ugas-richt-volleys-must-win-questions-players-defend-their-coach/?cxntfid=blogs_uga_sports_blog
Coach, plz just say every game is a must win.
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
1:18 pm
Orson Charles should be a Jr that should go. He will be the 1st to 3rd TE taken. Charles will not improve his draft stock much more than that. The ONLY way he would move up a bunch more spots is if there is a HUGE need for TEs next year with few being available, but he would still be the 1st to 3rd best TE. That is a HUGE if.
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:20 pm
RedandBlackDAWG December 30th, 2011 12:44 pm
“We will lose Boykin”
“The money is good enough for them to go to the NFL. Charles will be a little harder to replace than Boykin”
__________________________________________________
Great Scott.
Brandon Boykin is a
SENIOR
Delbert D.
December 30th, 2011
1:20 pm
He could stand to lose about 25 lbs. through a good diet and a lot of road work along with the lifting program and it would improve his chances.
kb
December 30th, 2011
1:22 pm
anyone who has the handle a person smart enough to know, probably isn’t.A legend in their own minds.
Jenkins is wise to stay. Rambo I can see why he’s 50-50 but if I were him I would go,he’s not going to get better than 1st team all american.
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
1:24 pm
And for those that don’t get it………..The Draft is about VALUE at a position for both the player and the team. If good RBs are a dime a dozen then only a Jr that is for sure a 1st rd pick should go. In a heavy QB draft a Jr again unless is for sure a 1st rd pick should stay.
What a player needs to understand is how many at his position are available for the Draft when he is a Jr as compared to when he is a Sr. Andrew Luck may have lost some SHINE but he will still be a Top pick. RG3 falls somewhere between a Cam, Vick, and a Tebow type of NFL experiment.
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:26 pm
Jarvis Jones ALL-SEC 1st team.
You guys run in here and act all so high and mighty, and what ?
You don’t know a thing.
You none of you went to UGA, which is fine.
You none of you go to the games, which is not fine.
You none of you have any concept of football.
You none of you played the game, as I. Maybe some did, but you sure don’t show the knowledge of the game.
And, you say Jarvis Jones is going to be All-SEC 1st team, as to why he should stay.
Do you not realize he is the most decorated LINEBACKER at UGA ever
DC
December 30th, 2011
1:28 pm
@WDE I guess his offseason training will prove me wrong or right..I question his work ethic when no one is around…also Nick is a lot faster than JJ..but bringing that guy back can only help the squad..you guys were fierce against the run.
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:28 pm
RG3 is the 2nd QB taken.
You know NOTHING smart
DC
December 30th, 2011
1:29 pm
Football speed not 40 times**** I believe they are kinda close with 40s
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:29 pm
Nick is not faster than JJ
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
1:30 pm
13-1 how did that Most Decorated Player ever work out for David Greene at the next level?
WDE
December 30th, 2011
1:30 pm
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012 you never answered my question did you? Why are you a richard with ears…hmmmm
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:31 pm
Nick Fairley has 8 tackles all season long. He has 3 assisted tackles. He has 1 sack. Nick Fairley is faster than JJ.
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:32 pm
Why are you a better fan than I, when you DO NOT GO TO THE GAMES WDE ?
Repeatedly, that is ALL you EVER SAY IN HERE that YOU ARE A BETTER FAN THAN I
Why WHEN YOU DO NOT EVEN GO TO THE GAMES
WDE
?
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012
December 30th, 2011
1:35 pm
____________________________________________________
WDE December 14th, 2011 10:27 am
“And as far as games this year due to a sickness in my family I only attended the USC game…I’m hoping for better attendance next season.”
___________________________________________________
WDE, best Bulldogs’ fan we have only went to 1 game all season long and LOST that 1 when Aaron Murray GAVE THE GAME AWAY.
For a guy who doesn’t even go the games, WDE, who died and made you our best fan ?
NOT HARDLY.
_____________________________________________________
WDE October 17th, 2011 12:36 pm
“what of it? Is this your first year watching college football”
_____________________________________________________
“Watching College Football” is that what you call being charge of this blog, posting how great a fan you are WDE, not even attending the games, but WATCHING THEM on TV ?
______________________________________________________
WDE September 27th, 2011 8:13 am
“Now the start of our SEC schedule to say Miss St is a cupcake is to prove you know dilly about SEC football before this season is done Miss St will rain on someones parade. If we don’t play 60 mins of smash mouth error free football they will beat us, like last year. We have to focus on Miss St this week.”
_________________________________________________
WDE, you know dilly ?
WDE
December 30th, 2011
1:35 pm
@DC fair enough , I think JJ has the potential to be as good as Fariley if he works hard and can stay healthy. I also think he has a better supporting cast around him than Nick did. Auburn had a decent overall defense Nicks last year but I don’t think they were as good as a whole than UGA this year.
DC
December 30th, 2011
1:36 pm
@13-1 SEC East Champions 2012 are you talking about Nick’s NFL numbers…if so the guy has been playing injured and missed some games b/c of it..
DC
December 30th, 2011
1:40 pm
@WDE completely agree with that..NF was one man wrecking crew on defense. Do you think anyone will get fired or go elsewhere on the coaching staff?
Mr. SEC
December 30th, 2011
1:40 pm
If Dawgs want to really make a statement about their rebounding into success, they should all stay!I wish the NCAA would go to the 4 year scholarships; if you leve early, you repay the university every cent you took the years that yo were there because you did not live up to your promise of 4 years, it would only make college football stronger. Look at the number of players who have left early only to make a scou team for a couple of years, then told goodbye. Bottom line, stay in school, get an education, and get a job if not drafted then.
Buckhead Bulldog
December 30th, 2011
1:41 pm
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012. Hitting the sauce kinda early there bro’? Hey picker head. I graduated fom UGA in ‘87, started contributing to the Bulldog Club in ‘88, and I go to every home game with some away games sprinkled in, was All Dekalb Co in football. Again, who the f— are you?
WDE
December 30th, 2011
1:42 pm
13-1 SEC East Champions 2012 lets be crystal clear I’m better than you at everything I care to do. I hope your not driving cause you have to be way high to think I care about anything you say, your a bully will a keyboard and that is under each and every handle you use. In the coming year I hope you get everything in life you deserve. We clear?
WDE
December 30th, 2011
1:47 pm
@DC I think someone will make a run at our DC soon. And our OL coach is proving his worth so he may garner some interest as well but that may not be till next year same with our linebackers coach. With as many vacancies for coordinators and position coaches that have recently opened up in the SEC there could be more.
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
1:53 pm
@13-1 SEC has changed hos blog name more than he changes his underwear. Didn’t you used to be BuLLdog, Thomas Brown, and a few others? Why don’t you PICK a NAME and stick with it? I guess when people figure out it is you they stop responding to your crap and you have to change your name again.
ugakev
December 30th, 2011
1:56 pm
I am excited to see what Sterling Bailey brings to the defense next season.
WDE
December 30th, 2011
1:58 pm
@A person SMART enough to know…..watch out he (who can’t remember his name) might get mad at you and say bad things…he’s a real meanie.
RiffRaff
December 30th, 2011
2:01 pm
Buckhead Bulldog – right on about Charles. His blocking is his only down side. He’s pretty solid otherwise. I hope he returns another year but who knows.
Hairy Dawg
December 30th, 2011
2:08 pm
It all depends on how badly a guy and his family (and possibly hangers-on) need cash. If the situation isn’t that dire, you might as well stay in school. If you can manage to eke out a degree while you’re there, you’ve helped to cover your backside in case the NFL doesn’t work out well for you.
Reality
December 30th, 2011
2:26 pm
The comments on these go or stay articles are always the same. If you are a fan of the team you justify the players staying. If you are not a fan of the team you justify the playing leaving. Get real. These guys have to make the best informed decision for themselves. That is where the real issue lies. Most college students and truth be known (based on our recent economic performance) most “so called adult experts” are not prepared to make good decisions for themselves. Preparing people for these decisions is the role of higher education.
bwell
December 30th, 2011
2:42 pm
Chip,
It’s my guess that the underclassman’s “JUST” want a eval. to see what their draft status is like. Like a kid wanting a cookie. Surely they could not be thinking about leaving. Why leave. They are a yr removed from a 6-7 season to this yr a 10 win season. IF they all stay and improve their draft status like CTG said, then the guranteed money is huge. Rambo please come back and prove that this season was not a fluke. B/c last yr you got burned a lot on the down the field passes. I think they all can improve and be 1st and second rd picks.
WDE
December 30th, 2011
2:43 pm
@Reality hard to say this but I agree, the sad part is the pressure to leave is often coming from family more that a real desire to leave early.
Dawg fan
December 30th, 2011
2:48 pm
We are the greatest college football team ever—-LSU was just lucky, we should be playing Bama—-wait til next year!!!!! I heard all 12 teams on our schedule are goin to forfeit, just to save being ran all over by the Dawgs!!!! Thats why Urban left, the Dawgs was gettin to him.!!!! Heard Tech was moving to Montana so they can own their state. Richt for President—next years Heismann, First place-Murray, 2nd–Crowell, 3rd-Marshall 4th—the rest of the team!!!!
WDE
December 30th, 2011
2:49 pm
@Dawg fan very funny now crawl back under your rock.
Garner
December 30th, 2011
2:50 pm
If Rambo stays, that’ll leave us with 9 out of 11 starters back on defense next season. What a defense we’re going to have next season. Possibly the best in the SEC. Our lineup next season should be:
DE: Garrison Smith
NG: John Jenkins
DE: Abry Jones
OLB: Jarvis Jones
ILB: Alec Ogletree
ILB: Mike Gilliard
OLB: Cornelius Washington (possibly Ray Drew)
CB: Branden Smith
FS: Bacarri Rambo
SS: Shawn Williams
CB: Sanders Commings (could be a top corner in the SEC next season; shutdown)
NASTY DEFENSE
Garner
December 30th, 2011
2:50 pm
@ Dawg Fan, Tech really should move to another state if they wanna win. Just sayin.
Garner
December 30th, 2011
2:53 pm
I hope we have a huge, good, athletic O-line next season. Nothing pleases me more than a dominant O-line that just blasts the D-line off the line.
BIGDAWG38
December 30th, 2011
3:08 pm
We need to go ahead and get either Mike Davis or the other kid from N.C.(Gurley) and get a few JUCO O-linemen, maybe one more tackle! We will be stacked for the next few years!!! GO DAWGS!
BIGDAWG38
December 30th, 2011
3:10 pm
As much as I hate to say it…I have learned to like the 3-4 Defense!!! BUT, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE BIG JOHN JENKINS AND KWAME GEATHERS BOTH DOWN ON THE LINE AT THE SAME TIME!!! GO DAWGS!!!
Evansdawg
December 30th, 2011
3:17 pm
Woof! ….and thats all that needs to be said.