Jordan Jenkins, other new Bulldogs start adjustment to college football life
Jonathan Taylor (L) and Jordan Jenkins pose Tuesday for their first photo as roommates at the University of Georgia. (Jenkins family photo)
ATHENS – It has been an emotional couple of days for Ronald Jenkins and his wife Phyleshia. But they have a good attitude about it.
Of dropping off his son Jordan Jenkins at UGA this week and leaving him behind to try to fulfill a dream, Ronald Jenkins quipped, “Well, our grocery bill will be considerably less.”
That’s true. But the reality is, it is a watershed moment for players and parents when these kids start their college football careers. It’s exciting and nerve-racking for both. And the process the Jenkins are going through is being repeated about 14 times over early this week. That’s how many new Bulldogs are showing up to begin classes by Friday and off-season workouts sometime next week.
Three of Georgia’s 19 signees enrolled in January and have been with the team for six months now. Two others — defensive tackle John Atkins and defensive end Leonard Floyd — are still working out their academic requirements, as detailed HERE on the AJC Recruiting Blog.
But 14 others were being dropped off Monday and Tuesday, moving into the East Campus Village dormitory and going through orientation this week.
These, as they say, are interesting times.
“It’s a special experience,” said Ronald Jenkins, whose son was considered one of the top recruits in Georgia for 2012. “You think about back in the day when they were young and watching them play. To finally get to where they’re playing on a college scholarship and playing for a big-time program is humbling.”
The Jenkins have been staying at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education since Monday. They’ll drive back to Harris County on Wednesday as empty-nesters. Their daughter Aysha left for Albany State last year.
Much will be on their minds on the way home.
“You wonder about how he adapts to the college life and being independent, going to classes and working hard on the football field and how he combines all that together,” said Jenkins, who met his wife at the University of Washington. “It’s a big phase for kids, to step out there and start going to classes and getting into the workout program and stuff like that.
“My thing is I just want him to stay focused and work hard. Like I’ve always told him, ‘when you’re doing well and you know you haven’t done your best, then you know you still have work to do. You don’t ever allow an opportunity in life to have regrets because you feel you could have done better in something because you got content.’ Being in the SEC, there’s some tough competition out there and you have to work hard for anything you want.”
There’s another transition signees must make. Until now, they’ve been wooed and charmed by college coaches. Their future encounters will be mostly of the in-your-face variety.
“We’ve talked about that,” Ronald Jenkins said. “He prefers to have somebody in his face pushing him. If he does it right, he’ll be fine. If he doesn’t do it right, he’ll get chewed. That’s the way he prefers to be coached, to tell you the truth.”
Starting tomorrow, it will be up to Jordan Jenkins and 13 others to deal with the transition. Ronald Jenkins believes his son is up for it.
“It seems like he’s looking forward to it,” he said. “I haven’t seen anything but smiles on his face. He’s happy to be here.”
– Chip Towers, The UGA Blog
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92 comments Add your comment
Mark Richt
June 5th, 2012
1:42 pm
YEAHHHHH BUDDY!!!!!!
shankit
June 5th, 2012
1:43 pm
First???
Dr. Phil
June 5th, 2012
1:51 pm
First step: Drivers’ Education
trueUGAfan
June 5th, 2012
1:56 pm
“Time to make the doughnuts”…
Burdell
June 5th, 2012
2:01 pm
Good luck to this newest batch of Bulldogs (except for that last weekend in November of course)!
Dawg Daze
June 5th, 2012
2:01 pm
Good Luck Jordan!! Enjoyed seeing you at Harris County High School and wishing you well!!
RHall55
June 5th, 2012
2:03 pm
Can’t wait till some of these guys step on the field!! Just wish we had more bodies coming in: Will Friend, more OL!! Coach Lakotos, more DB’s!!, Coach Ball, more WR’s!! Coach Rodney Garner, c’mon man, protect the borders for the upper talent!!
Austin
June 5th, 2012
2:05 pm
Just stay away for the pot brownies….Please.
cantondawg
June 5th, 2012
2:11 pm
I envy these kids. First year in college in the most exciting time of life. Just remember that Hot babes and cold beer will get you in trouble.
JB
June 5th, 2012
2:12 pm
Good luck to these huys….and their parents. It’s hard to turn your child away to other folks. They look like good players.
Taco Meat
June 5th, 2012
2:16 pm
LOL @ Austin! Good luck to all the new pups! September can’t come fast enough!
Destin Dawg
June 5th, 2012
2:18 pm
Missouri on the road in Columbia, Mo. is going to be a HUGE game !!!
JMLDawg
June 5th, 2012
2:46 pm
From a fellow Harris Countian, best wishes Jordan! You are a special, extremely talented young man from a wonderful family. All the best in the classroom and on the field!
jonkdawg
June 5th, 2012
2:54 pm
All the kids will be doing just fine , just don’t break the rules whatever it is rules like being stupid smoking weed and such…like you know who? your future is still to come, don’t screw up now.
piermontdawgny
June 5th, 2012
3:18 pm
LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FIELD NEW DAWGS!!
Gary
June 5th, 2012
3:27 pm
I hope this new class takes more seriously the fish bowl atmosphere of big time college athletics and stays out of trouble. Maybe its not fair that every little mistake a college student is bound to make will mean headlines or a suspension if made by a scholarship athlete. But it is what it is, and if you want the “big bucks” reward at the end of your college career, you have to make that sacrifice. If you want to be a dawg, man up as a freshman, follow the rules and give it your best. Go Dawgs… 2012 SEC champs!
Jacket Man
June 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
Best of luck in their transitions from high school to college life. Here’s hoping they appreciate the education that comes along with the athletic scholarship and they take advantage of it so they can be prepared for a life after their football “career” is over. Enjoy healthy careers on the field of play.
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
3:39 pm
I wonder if UGA will win a title before the next transition of Venus? Thoughts?
Lilburn_dude
June 5th, 2012
3:44 pm
Jordan seems to come from a good well balanced home….he’ll be fine. Go Dawgs!
Atlanta87
June 5th, 2012
3:46 pm
Haha @ The Tide. I’m an Auburn fan and that’s funny.
Atlanta87
June 5th, 2012
3:46 pm
Oh and my answer is probably not.
G-Dawg
June 5th, 2012
3:56 pm
The clowns are out in full force again today….
Especially the one clown posting the same comment on every article…looking desperate for attention. Poor guy!!
Neutral
June 5th, 2012
3:58 pm
@the tide is rolling……
Did you know that UGa has a higher winning percent than Bama since the SEC split?
Very impressive since the SEC east is historically tougher than the west….with the top teams being: UF, TN, UGa…..and in 4th place is your beloved Tide. Yes indeed you have more championships and some recent success, but the bottom line is you are lagging since the SEC split…so save your bragging for after you pass the Dawgs!!!
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
4:04 pm
Pass the Dawgs!?!?
BYU has won a championship since UGa.
The Tide is lagging?!?
Two out of three National Titles.
You sir, are too dumb to be on a UGA blog. (I don’t think I could be anymore insulting)
Columbus
June 5th, 2012
4:11 pm
@The Tide is Rolling….
How does 2012 sound to you? UGA will be in the SEC Championship game at LEAST 4 out of the next 6 years. Sure Bama won a couple SEC Championships lately(FINALLY) but so has UGA AND UGA has been to the SEC championship game 4 times in the last 10 years. Bama hasnt been that many. only LSU. UGA won 2 SEC titles during that period. I believe Bama won 1, maybe 2 during that time also. So whats your point? Thats my comment along with after the next few years, UGA will have a few more. You better worry about getting a new DC and head coach. Who are you going to BUY next time as a head coach?
Im a UGA fan and we can settle this on the field at the end of the year. If you can win your division this year…..
CDAWG
June 5th, 2012
4:12 pm
well alrighty then!
Neutral
June 5th, 2012
4:15 pm
No my friend, you are the dumb one for responding before reading. I stated the Fact that you are lagging behind Uga in winning percent since the SEC split…..nothing else. I even gave Bama credit for RECENT successes and championships. Get back IF Bama catches up…..you laggards!
gtfanfrom1951
June 5th, 2012
4:19 pm
Better do it this year because UGA will be rebuilding next two.
Neutral
June 5th, 2012
4:19 pm
@Columbus
Good comments……heck, Bama won the NC in the “mulligan game”, but they weren’t good Enough to make it to the SEC title game.
Columbus
June 5th, 2012
4:23 pm
It is about time for Saban to move on isnt it? Mike Shula available? If not for Saban where would Bama be without buying wins? Auburn would be the king of the state of Alabama.
Saban has won one SEC Championship since getting there in 2007 WHEN Alabama GUARANTEED him 32 million dollars over 8 years. Bama BETTER win! ANYTHING less than a national championship is a FAILURE. Bama fans are failures anyway with the exception that they are not Auburn fans. They are the worst. But gaining on Bama. Maybe Saban is ready to go try the NFL and give it a real shot before 32 million came knocking and he gets too old…..Bama sure is scared of Auburn lately. Had to go buy Saban since Auburn was thrashing them.
At LEAST Auburn did not go and buy the best coach for 8 years, they only bought the best player for one…..Alabam fans are Ok until they star ttrash talking unprovoked. Why come on here? Why not go to an Auburn board while you still can talk smack to them?
Neutral
June 5th, 2012
4:24 pm
Hey guys, I need to sign off and write 5 more letters of recommendation for HS kids applying to Bama after being rejected by UGa……no joke. Have you ever heard the reverse?
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
4:27 pm
4 of the 6 years? Yeah, if they keep their schedule. Face it, the Dawgs couldn’t beat a real team last year. Every decent team they played lit up the scoreboard. UGA is only good when UF and UT are down. UGA’s best quality is that they have been almost consistently mediocre under Richt.
Neutral, if you want to talk winning percentage, why stop at the SEC split? We measure success the way the other top programs do; championships.
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
4:29 pm
I thought Saban was leaving after two years?
Joey
June 5th, 2012
4:29 pm
Lordy Neutral. You and 2 or 3 other Dawg fans care about “winning percent.” I can’t stand Bama, but I would laugh with their fans at that silly stat. Seriously, is that a source or pride for you? “Winning Percent?”
A very large percentage of us UGA fans care about the lack of beating quality opponents in the last half-dozen seasons, as well as no BCS or even SEC Titles.
We watch these kids come through Athens on their way to the NFL, and we have nothing to show for it since ‘05, other than a win vs Hawaii – after getting upset by UT and SC, which kept us out of the Big Game.
Do you realize that was 5 years ago?
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
4:32 pm
Joey, it’s all they have besides Herschel
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
4:39 pm
Look, I’ll level with you guys. UGA could/should be a top tier program, BUT they are NOT and have not been since 1982. They are second fiddle to the BIG boys and may reach the SEC championship just because no one is better.
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
4:41 pm
AND if you think UGA has a good defense, you are part of the problem.
bucket
June 5th, 2012
4:52 pm
Looking forward to seeing Taylor and Jenkins between the hedges! Here’s hoping both of these young men come in hungry to stay straight outside of the classroom and determined to perform well in the classroom and on the field. They are both going to be essential to the program moving forward beyond this year.
here we go again
June 5th, 2012
5:11 pm
dont feed the trolls
pity them for they have no lives
The Tide is trolling and nothing can stop it
June 5th, 2012
5:12 pm
look at me! look at me!
Neutral
June 5th, 2012
5:22 pm
@tide is rolling
Wow dude…..you are sure on the defensive tonight!!!
TampaGator
June 5th, 2012
5:23 pm
Obviously, from a great family. You should have been a Gator but, then, you going to Georgia opened to door for the Gators to get Donte Fowler. Good luck to you……except late in October….then you are Gator meat.
GtDawg
June 5th, 2012
5:26 pm
Jonathan Taylor is a BIG boy, He’s gonna man the middle quite nicely for the next 3-4 years.
pj
June 5th, 2012
5:42 pm
I like the attitude of those parents. They sound educated and grounded in reality and hard work. Parenting really makes all the difference with these young men. I betcha this young man will be a DGD.
@gtfanfrom1951
June 5th, 2012
5:45 pm
Reloading , not rebuilding.
JB
June 5th, 2012
6:25 pm
OH no….I say no to a SEC network. Most of us now pay about 50-150 per month for cable. You can bet the farm that in 3-4 years of starting, the SEC network will charge 10-20 bucks per game for a pay per view format….and 40 bucks or so for a big time match up of say a 1 Bama vs 2 ranked LSU. Just hang on and watch. To good of product and to much money to leave on the table !
JB
June 5th, 2012
6:26 pm
Let’s see…..2 million homes at 40 a pop…………..=80 mil for ONE GAME.
JB
June 5th, 2012
6:27 pm
don’t forget ad revenue. another 5 mil. ouch.
jj
June 5th, 2012
6:56 pm
Sounds like Jordan Jenkins has outstanding parents.
Delbert D.
June 5th, 2012
7:00 pm
I hope that they don’t ride those little scooters. That warning should be part of the indoctrination info.
Delbert D.
June 5th, 2012
7:03 pm
Seriously, colleges should look into rickshaws. Yes, it would cost some money from the athletics funding, but it would be safer and it would create jobs.
outkasted
June 5th, 2012
7:26 pm
Nice read Thanks Chip!!!
Beast from the East
June 5th, 2012
8:02 pm
Best of luck…except in Jax
Spike 80DF
June 5th, 2012
8:03 pm
make sure they all have a VALID drivers license and then their first class is Scooter 101.
kerryb
June 5th, 2012
9:26 pm
Nothing like a fresh UGA blog to bring all the nimrods out.
slawdawg
June 5th, 2012
9:47 pm
Good Luck to each of these young men!
Funny Fans
June 5th, 2012
9:59 pm
You Jawja fans sure are funny!!! Trying to bust on the Alabama fans about championships. You all are the laugh of the country. You haven’t won squat to amount to anything while Alabama is out winning 2 national championships in the past 3 years. Not to mention the other National Champion was also from Alabama. When UGA wins something that means anything may be then, and only may be, the rest of the country will stop laughing in your face. FUNNY FANS!!!
Troup Co. Dawg
June 5th, 2012
10:36 pm
The future is ours, we will get better! Recruiting! Recruiting! Recruiting! This class definitely has class, but there is some Major talent in this Ring team! Go Dawgs! Support these guys, they are here for One reason only! Win Baby Win!
Troup Co. Dawg
June 5th, 2012
10:42 pm
It is called Loyalty all you Bama fans, you want ever convert this Dawg, I bleed red and black forever! If you were truly loyal to Bama, you wouldn’t be messin’ around on this blog. Now go home before we get Dawg ugly with you!
Lakedawg
June 5th, 2012
10:47 pm
Man hope to continue to get to some practices and scrimmages to see these two going up against Theus and compamy.
Dawg Haus
June 5th, 2012
10:54 pm
Best of luck to these young pups!
Mobile Dawg
June 5th, 2012
11:00 pm
JB, that’s a perspective I hadn’t thought about. I guess I will have to support some of the local sports bars.
Tdawg
June 5th, 2012
11:38 pm
Funny Fans why don’t you go find a really tall building and fling your sorry arse off of it. Listen you pompous jerk. This was a blog about UGA athletes, not about you or the Bama idiot’s that came on this site bashing UGA. Only a loon, in other words someone like you, would take your load or crap and not respond. Only a bama fan would think that way. Do you people over there actually breed your kind on purpose? Go back to doing the two things Alabama people do best. That is cheating and cow tipping. Well four, if you count molesting opposing drunken fans and tree murdering.
RED DOG 77
June 6th, 2012
12:01 am
@DestinDawg……………..Don’t be so up-tight about Missouri dude, we WILL beat the living snot out of them…………..they really don’t have much. Yes they can throw the ball all over the field…………..No run game, no Oline……………and not a lick of Defense……………..RED
Gulf Shores Dawg
June 6th, 2012
12:22 am
the tide, go kill an oak tree…rednecks, u r just a slight step above Miss.
Gulf Shores Dawg
June 6th, 2012
12:24 am
the tide…and don’t embarrass the SEC again like you have with strippergate,,,it;s fans like u that make me pull for AU…
Gulf Shores Dawg
June 6th, 2012
12:25 am
welcome to Athens all the great future stars of the SEC, come home to UGA!
pj
June 6th, 2012
1:30 am
ignore “Bama guy”. Yes, they have a great football team. Congrats to them. They now think theyre like the Roman empire or Hitler’s Germany and somehow can expand the empire. Nah – ya’ll are just a great football team, that’s all. Auburn won a title. LSU won 2. Florida won 2. In the new landscape of college football, Bama is one of the best – but don’t act like you rule the world. I generally like my Bama friends, but the one’s on these blogs are a terrible example. I’m sure these guys have the name of every tree poison that exists. Hey Harvey – you can’t tea bag on a blog – you just perpetuate sterotypes of your state.
On another note – 4 SEC teams have won 7 National titles recently. It’s Georgia’s turn! We’ve got all the intangibles. If we can get past LSU or BAMA in the title game, no reason we won’t be playing Kiffin’s boys for the big title.
BigGAdawg
June 6th, 2012
5:31 am
WELCOME to all the new UGA football team members. We look forward to seeing you excel on the field and off. I do not wish you good luck, but rather I wish you success–good luck is what people call it when preparation meets opportunity.
A few important things to remember: if you decide to ignore the rules and drink and drive,or smoke pot (yes, they will be testing), or get arrested for anything, you don’t just hurt yourself. You also hurt your family, all of your teammates, all of your coaches, and all of the BullDawg Nation. I sincerely hope that you care about yourselves and all of the rest of us who truly want the very best for you, and the very best from you.
GO DAWGS!!!
WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!
TheAlpha&OmegaDawg
June 6th, 2012
7:12 am
Protect the borders ; still to many elite players from Georgia going to play football in other states. Alabama and Auburn have won National Championships with the help of a large number of elite football players from Georgia.
Bulldawgman49
June 6th, 2012
7:14 am
Get them on the field see what they can do , The taylor kid looks big and strong , need that rotation in the SEC I hope he adjusts well . GO DAWGS !!!
claytondawg
June 6th, 2012
8:53 am
@Pj…I, too, like the attitude of the parents. Success begins at home and continues through life BECAUSE of the home front. Go ‘Dogs!!!
Joey
June 6th, 2012
9:21 am
“Don’t be so up-tight about Missouri dude, we WILL beat the living snot out of them….”
**********************************************
Glad to hear that Red Dog 77. I was actually worried about the game for a couple of reasons:
1) Our last few high-profile games away from Athens have been pathetic efforts – OK St, Colorado, UCF, Boise, LSU, Mich St
2) Mizzou’s first SEC game ever
3) Unable to remember the last time our head coach stood on the sideline and out-coached another head coach
But now that I know that we will beat Mizzou snotless, I’ll not worry a bit about that silly stuff . . .
scout 2
June 6th, 2012
9:45 am
To all of the “Bammers.” All I can say is that we never, ever, lost to Louisianna Monroe …..on our home field! The late Bear Bryant probably has never been receptive to even the slightest thought or acknowledgement of saban era national championships for still having his head permanently turned and lowered in shame due to the lowest embarrassment of being dominated on Tuscaloosa home turf by La. Monroe. Bammer town should have imposed self embarrassment sanctions of death penalty on football for 10 years after that humiliating home defeat. What an embarrassment that still shames and bears an ever present scar to our SEC tradition.
MT DAWG
June 6th, 2012
10:10 am
ATL 87 AUBURN FAN Still smartin from the absolute beatdown last year from the dogs…huh… worst awitburns scores once early and never gets another point.. Jawga scored forty somethin. wrong yr to talk….
Rampdawg
June 6th, 2012
10:17 am
I thought Jenkins was a Bama lock .HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
funny...
June 6th, 2012
10:19 am
Alabama fans, LOL
They have everything and yet they’re still laughed at.
Go Dawgs
June 6th, 2012
10:22 am
Exactly the kind of player we need…..”happy to be there”!!!!!
Gator
June 6th, 2012
11:49 am
@funny fan, Bama has 3 post season bowl bans , 21 vacated wins ,9 forfeits (1993) countless years on probation , are you proud of that?
sUGAr_daddy_DAWG
June 6th, 2012
12:15 pm
We need more Ronald Jenkins in this world.
Rampdawg
June 6th, 2012
1:00 pm
On this day 68 yrs. ago Americans and their allies gave their all on the beaches of Normandy, I just want to thank them for a job well done, and ask our Lord and Savior to bless them all. The living as well as the ones who gave the ultimate sacrafice. You truly were ……
“The Greatest Generation”
Jimmy Crack
June 6th, 2012
2:06 pm
TROLL TIDE!
Buckeye
June 6th, 2012
2:53 pm
Hey Isaiah, The Annointed One II,
Take a lead from Julio and cut the dreds. They just ain’t that cool.
Chill, Bro.
HardTruth Soldier
June 6th, 2012
3:03 pm
Love GEORGIA, but here’s reality, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and the Fla scrubs(Gators) have Nat’l titles. Ga doesn’t. So until we do we need not say to much. Let’s also realize Dawg fans that the second team place beat us twice in the last two years. We need to do it on the field. Now you’ve heard the Hard Truth.
joe taxpayer
June 6th, 2012
3:50 pm
Wish all of our kids had parents like that.
Hurt Kurbstreit
June 6th, 2012
4:07 pm
Sounds like Jordan Jenkins was brought up with a solid foundation from his parents. He will do just fine.
2012 UGA Football Offseason: Incoming Freshman Reporting To Campus | Georgia Bulldogs Football
June 6th, 2012
7:25 pm
[...] are less than 100 days from kickoff of the 2012 football season and 14 members of Georgia’s 2012 recruiting class arrived on campus on Monday and Tuesday to go through orientation and get acclimated to college [...]
strickdawg
June 6th, 2012
7:37 pm
Do Alabama fans think college football only started three years ago? Florida was decimating the nation a few years back and they didn’t constantly talk trash like those rednecks do. Fun fact: Richt is 3-1 against bama in his tenure at Georgia. All you updykes can ride that bandwagon back to your trailers because I know none of you were chanting roll tide after losing to ulm a few years back…
StackedDeck
June 6th, 2012
7:54 pm
“It is what it is…”congrats to the new dawgs on campus this week! GO DAWGS!!! Hooorah!!!
UGA / ‘74
J.L.
June 7th, 2012
1:56 am
Jordan please listen to your parentrens. Then ask God to guide you on this journey. Just say no to to the drugs and alcol. God bless you son.
uga1984
June 7th, 2012
9:11 am
Sounds like Jordan Jenkins has got a great set of parents!!!! All the best to him during his career at UGA.
Chris Mike
June 7th, 2012
9:51 am
Great! now the first advice for the newcomers…… stay the hell out of trouble!