By Todd Bradley, DCSportsFan.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
Jelani Jenkins, a 3.9 GPA national scholar-athlete at Good Counsel High School, has accumulated 13 football awards this year alone, including 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland, Washington Post All-Met First Team/Linebacker, State of Maryland All-State First Team/linebacker and DCSportsFan.com Most Valuable Player.
He is already on the receiving end of 50-plus universities seeking him as a student-athlete; 24 have offered scholarships.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior’s combined power, strength and speed enable him to make a singular contribution to both offense and defense for the Falcons. Jenkins’ performance on offense as a fullback and running back and on defense as a linebacker makes it clear to Good Counsel’s head coach, Bob Milloy:
“Jelani Jenkins is one of the best athletes I’ve seen in 37 years of coaching.”
The 2007 football season boasts nothing but accomplishment for Jenkins. Offensively, he led the team in touchdowns (16); he had 1,014 total yards, with 223 yards receiving, and he was second in rushing with 791 yards. Defensively, Jenkins had 41 tackles (7.1 per game) while playing only 50 percent of game regulation time because Good Counsel averaged a 35-0 score by halftime.
Jenkins is also a standout sprinter in track (he runs a 4.4 forty-yard dash).
A Look Back
For a few years while he was still in middle school Jenkins played at the local Wheaton Boys Club. In his final year before high school, he transferred to Maplewood Football, where he played running back, fullback and linebacker.
Maurice Jenkins, Jelani’s father, said: “We knew then something was special. Jelani would do 300 yards rushing with three touchdowns. He’d run a 90 or 85-yard touchdown. And defensively he was a very aggressive kid. We always told him to play above the level of his competition. So he learned not be in awe of others who are older. We’d keep saying...‘They can’t stop you Jelani. They can’t stop you.’ At some point Jelani started believing it.”
After completing his eighth grade season, Jenkins went to Good Counsel. His Maplewood coach, Will Flaherty, had recently accepted a job coaching the running backs for the Falcons, which factored into the Jenkins’ decision.
As a freshman at Good Counsel, Jelani was tall and lanky, with no real muscle. The coaches decided to move him up to varsity to compete against a rival team, nationally-ranked DeMatha. To prepare, Jenkins was told to practice against the Good Counsel fullback at the time, Anthony Davis (currently at UConn).
He later said to his dad, “I never got hit that hard in my life…it was like being mowed down by a tractor trailer.”
In response, his dad said, “Remember that hit...that’s what you’ll get from now on.” It was after that hit that Jenkins began to go to the gym. He worked out all year long. The next year his coaches were calling Jenkins’ dad, saying Jelani was one of the strongest players.
During his sophomore year at Good Counsel, against rival St. John’s, his dad was in the stands with a family member and longtime mentor of Jelani’s who had played years back at North Carolina State.
“Right before our eyes we saw Jelani transformed," Maurice Jenkins said.
"For so long we were trying to get it into Jelani’s head...'they can’t stop you Jelani….they can’t stop you…play above the competition.’ Then, as we watched the way he maneuvered down the field to score the final touchdown against St. John’s, we knew at that moment that he HAD changed.”
Dealing with Opportunity
With high-level interest from top schools throughout the country, life is changing fast in the Jenkins family. Some days Maurice Jenkins spends several hours on the phone. As a family committed to finding the best college experience for its son, the Jenkins are remaining open to all offers and are determined to look at each school on an equal basis.
Following a system the family used to select Our Lady of Good Counsel, Maurice Jenkins says he will develop a matrix of offers and make comparisons based on what is most important to them. The family will actively contact coaches; learn about the strengths of the football program; ask coaches where they see Jelani fitting in (he prefers linebacker but enjoys both offense and defense); and determine how stable each coaching staff is (with coaches often being recruited by competing institutions for more money).
Of equal importance to the family are the school’s academic standing, curriculum offerings and graduation rates.
Right now Jelani is interested in his father’s career in architecture or he may pursue kinesiology.
Jenkins’ age has made him into something of a phenomenon. It’s early in life to have achieved so much. Natural talent, a close family, and a spiritual belief that God allows each person on earth to arise to whatever God has planned is helping the family stay grounded.
According to Jenkins’ dad, “We see this as a rite of passage for a young man growing into manhood. This is an opportunity where Jelani can grow spiritually. It does not have to be ego driven.”
Good Counsel has been a perfect fit for Jelani, according to his dad: “He’s learned a general appreciation for humanity and people from all different cultures. He just came back from a retreat and said it was life changing."
One Sunday, Jenkins’ dad had tickets to the Redskins game. He asked his son to join him. Jelani’s response… ‘I’d love to go with you but I have to study for the test tomorrow.’ So Jelani stayed home. And dad gave away the tickets.
What makes Jenkins’ father most proud of his son? His son’s humility. Maurice Jenkins said to his son, ‘Do you realize what is going on?’
It seems that family, hard work and gratitude for what has been given, coupled with Good Counsel, where they build athletes who understand teamwork, fairness and character….are making all the difference.
Todd Bradley is the Editor-in-Chief of www.dcsportsfan.com, which covers high school athletics in the Washington, D.C. area. E-mail Todd at editor@dcsportsfan.com.
