Versatile DT was Clemson All the Way

CENTRAL, S.C. - Good big men are always tough to find in football, but when Clemson picked up a commitment from Jarvis Jenkins, a defensive tackle out of Daniel High in S.C., the Tigers found a great talent for themselves.

For Jenkins, the decision was easy.

"Clemson was the first school that started to hit me real hard in recruiting, and I've to a lot of Clemson games since I was little, so that was an easy choice for me."

Last spring, Jenkins took in the Clemson spring game which let him get a feel for the players and coaches on the team, and that helped put the Tigers solidly over the edge.

"I went to one of their practices, I think the Orange and White game, and I was on the field when the players were great and the coaches were real friendly to me and everybody came up to me saying how much they wanted me."

However, Jenkins still had to wait for an offer from the Tigers before he could make a decision.

"Clemson offered in August of last year. We kept it low-key because we had some good prospects on our team that were seniors and I was only a junior. They offered about three or four weeks before I committed. I was waiting to see, since (Clemson) offered so early, if more colleges would offer me.

"Then I called coach Brad Scott, he is one of my really good friends right now, and he talked to me a lot about the grades and the majors and what they mean to me. I talk to Coach Scott about two or three times a week."

While none others offered, Duke, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Wake Forest, South Carolina, and others were sending letters to Jenkins before he made the early jump to Clemson.

On film it is easy to see what many coaches love about the 6-foot-5, 290 pound defensive tackle. For several games last season, Daniel ran a defense with only three down linemen and Jenkins running around in pass coverage as a linebacker, and he did not look like a stiff lineman knocking down a few balls.

"When I first did it, I was a little nervous because I didn't know how to defend the pass very well. I played two or three games with it and then the third game I was pretty good at it, but I was a little lost in the first game against Westside."

Fortunately for Jenkins, who already lists Clemson as his hometown, chances are that he will not be lost for much longer.