Jordan Jenkins: Poised for an All-American Season?

Jordan Jenkins has had a marvelous season for the Georgia Bulldogs at OLB thus far in 2015. Can Jenkins possibly be a first-team All-American in his senior season playing Between the Hedges?

Jordan Jenkins is the undisputed leader of the UGA defense. Through three games, the Dawgs have allowed 16 PPG and are doing a fantastic job of disrupting the opposing offense’s rhythm from all three layers of the UGA defense.

Jenkins has 22 total tackles, 6.5 for a loss of yardage, 3 quarterback sacks and 3 additional quarterback hurries. His 11 tackle, 5.5 for a loss, and 2 sack performance against Vanderbilt in Week 2 was nothing less than spectacular. He did not want to go 0-for in his two collegiate trips to Nashville. After seeing yet another UGA LB be ejected from the game due to a targeting penalty, Jordan Jenkins became an unrelenting pass rushing force versus Vanderbilt. It was one of the most inspired defensive performances I’ve seen from a Georgia Bulldog in years.

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Though he didn’t have as strong of a performance against South Carolina in Week 3, does Jordan Jenkins still present a strong case to make an All-American team as the senior leader of the UGA defense?

Jordan Jenkins benefits from playing in arguably the deepest LB corps in the country. Having players like Leonard Floyd, Lorenzo Carter, and Davin Bellamy in his position group allows UGA to generate a quality pass rush on any play they wish. The depth at OLB for Jenkins is an advantage, not a disadvantage for building a quality individual season resume. Jenkins will continue to set plays up for the rest of the Law Firm and vice versa in 2015.

So with many eyes already on the UGA OLB corps to start the year, Jenkins needs another performance similar to the one he had against Vanderbilt to seriously put him in contention for an All-American caliber senior season. In his first three years with UGA, Jenkins only accumulated 5 sacks in each season. He is on pace for 14, possibly 15 in his final season Between the Hedges, assuming UGA can make the 2nd Annual College Football Playoff.

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At the JACK, Jenkins rarely leaves the field. The OLB rotation has more to do with Leonard Floyd’s ability to play four positions (OLB, ILB, STAR, and DE) that opens up more opportunities for Carter and potentially Bellamy.

Should UGA have a special season in 2015, one has to believe that many members of the defense will received accolades for their contribution to Jeremy Pruitt’s ferocious Dawgs defense. Jenkins was one of nine Georgia Bulldogs to make an All-SEC Coaches Team in the Preseason.

I expect Jordan Jenkins to live up to that hype and make First-Team All-SEC, but I still need to see more out of him this fall to think that he’ll be a First-Team All-American. The first thing he needs to do is have double digits in sacks and continue to wreak havoc in opposing backfields with great tackles for a loss of yardage. Week 4 against Southern is a great opportunity for Jenkins to pad his stats early in the contest.

Next: Georgia Bulldogs: 5 Offensive Players to Watch Vs. Southern

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