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
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:08 pm
Smart
How do you think this game will go?
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:10 pm
I got Wake by 17 before the game started. i posted it on one of these blogs B4 the kickoff. If I can change I will say Wake by 4 or Miss St by 3. LOL
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:11 pm
Dang what is up with the fumbles?
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:11 pm
I guess that means my line is Wake -1 now.
My DAMN Ball again. Do something with it.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:12 pm
Another Roseanne hit!
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:13 pm
I will give you WF and 4
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:14 pm
Tech couldn’t beat ANYBODY when they were in the SEC. Thats why they high tailed out
TampaGator
December 30th, 2011
7:14 pm
BigDawgK…..
And don’t lose hope (or your dreams)……sometime in the next century……your Dawgs will win a national championship and the Gators will be 4-8 or 5-7.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:15 pm
Holding on that play! I saw it!
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:16 pm
ARdawg………….I have now had a few Jacks w/ 3 ice cubes. Don’t even make that statement because you really should know better or need to check your history. I am here with the Twinkie smuggler and we want to have fun talking smack but enjoy the game too. Please join in.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:20 pm
How bout them DAWGS!
Bring on the cow bells!
Smart go milk the cow for me!
I need some milk to go with my twinkies!
exile in georgia
December 30th, 2011
7:21 pm
jenkins is fat washout…today is one year anniversary of UCF rolling the dawgs…what na joke program…
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:21 pm
ARdawg.. Dodd left for a few reasons but 1 major one was the same thing the dawgs are complaining about right now. back in the day Dod didn’t like Bear’s Scholarship offers and now UGA doesn’t like Saban’s scholarship offers. The other issued was the Holt/ Granning HIT.
Alright 48
we are back to EVEN DAMN.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:22 pm
I gave you 4 points
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:23 pm
Smart
Gentleman Jack here. Watching the game as well. It really is a shame though, as much as GT has contributed to college football that they turn weak and run from the best conference in the land. But you know, it’s not like we missed them or anything. We still administer yearly beatings on you bugs
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:23 pm
Now 48 don’t LOVE the Cow Bell just cause it is getting used against an ACC team when you cry about it when you play them. LOL
Wait UGa fans don’t like the COW bell because all the UGa coeds start walking; like Hypnotized, to the Miss St men.
exile in georgia
December 30th, 2011
7:23 pm
zigzag paper company awarded its “high roller” award to the entire uga rb crew…
congrats, losers…
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:25 pm
WF. Is cheating!
You can keep on drinking smart you did not see double there was two #25 on that play.
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:26 pm
Not all UGA coeds do. Just the few ugly ones
exile in georgia
December 30th, 2011
7:26 pm
so what, its GT…what a bunch of pot-gutted rednecks uga has for fans…at least tech has won a title in the last 25 years…
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:27 pm
exile
Please, get some new material. Thats as old as Moses
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:27 pm
ARd………….you do know why TECH left or if you don’t please be nice or read up on the facts.
Minutes after his Alabama team had lost to Georgia Tech 7-6 last Saturday, in just about the biggest football upset of the year, Alabama Head Coach Paul (Bear) Bryant appeared in the winning team’s dressing room, smiling and completely unbearlike, despite the hurt of having been beaten for the first time in 27 games. But after an exchange of compliments with Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Dodd, Bryant’s affability was suddenly dampened by Dodd’s offhand comment, “I believe that was the cleanest game I’ve ever seen. What do you think. Coach?” Bryant, looking down at his shoes, muttered, “Huh? Oh, yeah. It certainly was. But I didn’t expect anything different.”
This is a LINK to much of the reason Dodd took Tech from the SEC.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074338/index.htm
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:28 pm
Who is exile talking to?
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:29 pm
Pot bellies are a direct result of having too many Tech grads as employees
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:30 pm
48 seeing Double. You mean those were not twins hands on my crotch when I was peeing?
Now I am embarrassed.
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:31 pm
Smart
Maybe so or maybe not. That was before my time. I’m ribbing you guy with some smack. But, don’t you find it a bit more than ironic that GT wasn’t invited into any conference as your ACC is falling apart football wise?
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:33 pm
D up state! C’mon!
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:33 pm
Damn I just realized I still have on my Gold Spikes. I have had a few too many. Next time I will take my golf spikes off so I don’t look like a sprinkler head when I pee.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:35 pm
Please miss it
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:35 pm
AR the ACC made a choice to go MORE towards BBall in our expansion because we have close to the same Money contract with ESPN for Bball that the SEC has for football.
MISS St Mutts with the BLOCK.
Damn a BULL RUSH.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:35 pm
Blocked! Heck yea!
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:37 pm
Do I need to say it?
Yes I do!
I got the lead now!
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:37 pm
God Please not another TRACK meet like last nights game. i still can’t believe I saw a game with 123 points and neither Koby or LeBron were involved.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:39 pm
ACC has the new York market now.
If they could get U CONN……they would corner the ESPN market.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:40 pm
Smart what was the final score of the bailer game?
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:40 pm
48 What are you going to do with Lead? I like to melt it down to make my own fishing line lead sinkers. LOL
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:40 pm
Smart
You peed already? You guys can’t hold ya’ liquor huh?
ARdawg
December 30th, 2011
7:43 pm
Big block
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:44 pm
I will check .
1 2 3 4 T
WASH 7 28 14 7 56
#12 BAY 21 3 29 14 67
1st Downs 26 33
3rd down efficiency
9-16 7-14
4th down efficiency
3-4 3-4
Total Yards 620 777
1397 TOTAL YARDS IN 1 freaking game. Can you believe that. A season in ONE 60 minute game. DAMN.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:44 pm
Punt me the ball!
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:47 pm
Wow……
I slept threw that?……
Was it the 1999 UGA GT game that there was over a 1000 yards of offense?
Q Carter vs Joe Hamilton
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:48 pm
ARd I will take my shot at drinking with you. I can hold my own. I drink Jack, Makers, or Crown because I don’t like to pee. Beer you just rent. Liquor get you there faster and you keep it longer. LOL
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:50 pm
Hey i don’t blame you. You had the guys over for wings and needed to finish the week. But YES it was basically EA Sports in real life.
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:50 pm
he is a BIG Thick QB.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:51 pm
You don’t like MR Boston?
That’s high quality vodka!
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:53 pm
That missed extra point will come back to haunt Miss ST
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:54 pm
Mr. B at $3/ gal it is almost like buying gas for the Caddy.
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:54 pm
NO miss miss miss. Damn it is good.
Dawg48
December 30th, 2011
7:55 pm
I’m up by 5
A person SMART enough to know......
December 30th, 2011
7:55 pm
Like CROWELL I got to take a Smoke Break.