DL Jayson Jenkins Sets, Previews Upcoming Florida Gators Official Visit
Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Zach Goodall
Head coach Billy Napier and his Florida Gators staff have hit the ground running on the recruiting trail, scouting prospects in the class of 2022 that didn’t sign early across the entire country.
One of the prospects that has been in contact with the Gators is defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins from Notre Dame HS in Trenton (N.J.). Though he does not possess an offer from Florida yet, he has set up a visit with the Gators and says he talks to a number of coaches including Napier himself.
“I have a visit set for the date January 21," Jenkins told AllGators. "I was speaking with coach [Patrick] Toney, coach Napier, coach [Joe] Hamilton, and coach [Darnell] Stapleton. So, I've been in contact with a lot of the coaches there.”
It’s not often that a head coach is one of the first points of contact with a prospect, so for Napier to be one of the primary people that Jenkins speaks to, it means a lot to the prospect.
“You know, it just means a lot. First off that he cares, he cares about the relationship with like, all the recruits and everything and about how he's taking a different approach," said Jenkins. "You don't regularly see all the head coaches, personally go out and text you mainly every day and just want to know how you're doing and stuff like that. I get a really good feel from them already, just due to that aspect. So, you know, it's just very cool."
Another one of the coaches that have been in contact with Jenkins is Florida’s co-defensive coordinator, Toney. Not many people know exactly what scheme the Gators will run next season under the direction of Toney, but Jenkins got a little insight as to where he might fit in and shared his thoughts on him.
“Right, so with coach Toney, and he's a very, very good guy, you can just tell because he knows a lot about football and with this scheme, he sees me fitting in at the defensive end position," Jenkins said. "You know, being an edge rusher.
“And you know, the feeling I get from him overall is just, he's another person that cares about the players. Like, he was the first one to reach out to me, text me Merry Christmas and just speak over the holidays, stuff like that. And he was the first one to reach out to me when I first started my contact with Florida, so you know, just personally, I think that Coach Toney is a great guy, and he has a great vision for me in Florida's defense.”
Even though he is from New Jersey, distance will not play a factor in Jenkins’ decision. He actually has a connection to the state: “I actually have family from down in Florida and from down that way, so it's not really a problem at all.”
When Jenkins finally makes his trip to Gainesville, there are a few things he will be looking for while on campus.
“So I'm just looking forward mainly to [seeing] the people that are there that I could see myself surrounding myself over the next four years," Jenkins said. “And just overall just finding a place where I can thrive on the field and off the field and just everybody being mainly on the same page just the winning atmosphere and just stuff like that. So, you know, that's pretty much all I'm really looking for and I'm just ready to just intake it all and hopefully come to a decision very soon.”
Jenkins has seen his recruitment pick up recently, earning offers from the likes of West Virginia, Missouri, and Virginia in the last couple of weeks. Jayson shared what the key factors will be when he finally makes his college decision and if any school is pushing the hardest for his services at this time.
“Pretty much all of them are really going hard right now and I'm very thankful for that, so they're pretty much at the same playing field in that aspect,” Jenkins said. “The key factors will just be how I feel with the coach’s staff, you know, the players that are there and overall just place where I see myself best fitting in. A place I could see myself on the campus during the offseason and just overall I can see myself just fully being intuitive with being there."
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