MOBILE – When you mention the name “Gulf Coast” at the Senior Bowl, people know exactly what college you’re talking about. For the fourth straight year, a former MGCCC standout player suited up at the annual event.
Detroit Lions defensive line coach Kris Koucurek watches as former MGCCC Bulldog Jonathan Jenkins works through an agility drill at the 2013 Senior Bowl practice on January 24.
Bulldog Jonathan Jenkins impressed NFL scouts along the defensive line for the South Squad. A 6-3, 349-pound nose guard, he played his last two seasons at Georgia and joins Vick Ballard and Chris White (Mississippi State) and Terrence Cody (Alabama) as MGCCC alums who had a chance to perform in front of NFL coaches and scouts. Cody, White and Ballard are all now playing on Sundays, and Jenkins is preparing to be the next one suiting up for an NFL team.
“From day one, when I got to MGCCC, I was on a mission to try and get better and not get lost in the shuffle,” says Jenkins, who came to MGCCC in 2009, was a 2010 NJCAA All-American and helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2010 MACJC title. “I had a great coaching staff, and we did a tremendous amount of preparation for games. I’m blessed to be part of that organization.”
With Jenkins heading to the next level, Georgia is hoping another former MGCCC Bulldog, nose guard Chris Mayes, can fill his shoes in Athens. Mayes played at MGCCC in 2011 and should compete for playing time at Georgia this fall.
“We’ve got the players at Gulf Coast,” Jenkins adds. “We’ve got them coming in, and we’ve got them going off to big schools.”
Meanwhile, Senior Bowl week was big for Jenkins, a player many have projected to be a first- or second-round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft this spring.
“Around here, everybody is good,” Jenkins says. “Everybody deserves to be here. I’m among the best athletes in the country. It’s been a great experience for me.”
He will be drafted as a defensive lineman, but Jenkins also wants NFL scouts to know he can play offense if needed. After all, he actually played running back a la William “The Refrigerator” Perry on short-yardage and goal-line situations while at MGCCC. He even scored a rushing touchdown in the 2010 Mississippi Bowl.
“I proved myself at MGCCC that I was able to run the football,” says Jenkins with a grin.