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Nay’Ron Jenkins waited turn to start for FAMU football. Now, he’s the Rattlers’ surest tackler

Nay’Ron Jenkins embodies who a Florida A&M football player should be.

The junior linebacker is an honor roll student at the top public Historically Black College and University and is active in the community.

On the field, Jenkins has ascended as one of the Rattlers’ defensive constants, leading the team with 42 tackles and two sacks.

“He’s a guy you’re happy he’s in the program. Because it’s not just the football field where he does a great job, he also does a great job off the field,” said FAMU head coach James Colzie III.

Before the 2024 season, Jenkins was a reserve player for the Rattlers, primarily appearing in special teams packages. He played in 13 games between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Now, Jenkins has cracked the Rattlers’ defensive starting lineup, a set that only runs two linebackers at a time.

Jackson State Tigers’ wide receiver Ja’Naylon Dupree (2) is tackled by Florida A&M Rattlers’ linebacker Nay’Ron Jenkins (45) during the game in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.

And the Alachua native has maximized his opportunity of getting meaningful snaps.

“I can only give glory to God for that,” Jenkins said.

“I appreciate my coaches who prepared me for these moments. And I thank my defensive line because without them holding their gaps, I’m taking on double teams. I didn’t do this by myself. People in place do their job so that I can get the job done. I appreciate that, so I got to give them a shoutout for that.”

After losing a wave of starters of its 2023 Black College Football National Championship team, FAMU attracted many NCAA Transfer Portal linebacker entrants to assist with its hopes to retain the title.

However, the Rattlers’ answer to their linebacker question was on campus the entire time.

“He’s been paying his dues over the past two years. Now, he’s got the…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nayron-jenkins-waited-turn-start-090528791.html

Author : Tallahassee Democrat

Publish date : 2024-10-25 09:05:28

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

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