TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Brandon Jenkins was torn with the decision.
The Florida State defensive end had very little left to prove to the NFL, carrying a resume that includes a combined 21.5 sacks in his sophomore and junior seasons. He could leave Tallahassee as one of the best pass rushers at FSU in a decade.
“I realized how many people get to sit there and be like, 'Oh, I want to decide to go to the NFL,’ " Jenkins said. “I felt blessed, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity when I had the chance."
On one hand, Jenkins had the chance to leave for the NFL. But on the other hand, he could stay at FSU and anchor one of the nation’s top defenses, continue to antagonize opposing offensive tackles and climb the charts of FSU’s elite defensive players.
“At one point, I was gone,” Jenkins said. “It was back-and-forth. One person would tell me this, one person would tell me this. It came down to my family and the people that I was close with.”
Jenkins grew up in Tallahassee and was raised on Florida State football. He attended nearby Florida High and clearly enjoys being close to family and having them in the stands at Doak Campbell Stadium on fall Saturdays.
He also felt a close bond with his fellow defensive linemen. Jenkins talked with family and friends about the decision, but also sat down with most of his teammates on the line.
As he wrestled with what to do, the conclusion he came to was that he wanted to stay at FSU. He felt that together, the defensive line could be dominant in 2012 if he returned, and FSU could bring pressure from both ends with Jenkins, Bjoern Werner, Tank Carradine and the nation’s No. 1 defensive recruit, Mario Edwards Jr.
"You affect the next man beside you,” Jenkins said. “Everybody told me what they would do in my situation. So I did that with everybody, and I felt one thing that was valuable to me was my camaraderie with my teammates. I was close with a lot of people. That was one of the reasons.”
If FSU is to claim its first ACC title since 2005, it will be because of its defense. The Seminoles return eight starters from a group that ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (15 points per game) and second rush defense (82.6 yards per game).
FSU has also accumulated a talented group of pass rushers who tallied 40 sacks in 2011, the eighth-best total in the nation. Despite fighting through double-teams, Jenkins led FSU with eight sacks, and Werner had seven and Carradine added 5.5.
Separately, they would be excellent at applying pressure to quarterbacks. But the fact that opposing offensive lines must prepare for heat from both sides by using tight ends or fullbacks as blockers limits what they can do against FSU.
The group is almost certain to surpass the 40 sacks from last season, and it’s likely that Jenkins will leave FSU as one of the top three in career sacks.
Jenkins has 21.5 career sacks, placing him in a tie for eighth place all-time. But just 2.5 sacks — and those could come quickly, as FSU opens against Murray State and Savannah State — would put him in fourth place. He would surpass a few NFL first-round picks like Jamal Reynolds (23.5 sacks) and Andre Wadsworth (23 sacks).
He could climb the charts and challenge FSU’s top three on the career sacks list — Reinard Wilson (35.5), Peter Boulware (34) and Ron Simmons (25).
FSU coach Jimbo Fisher feels that Jenkins is successful because he works as hard in the spring and summer as he does in the fall. He’s pushing hard each snap in spring practice, challenging new left tackle Cameron Erving (a converted defensive tackle) and trying to get Erving ready for September.
Jenkins keeps on pushing every day, making himself and those around him better.
“He is bringing it every dadgum play,” Fisher said. “Brandon pushes that high standard. … When the best players are your hardest workers and have the best attitudes, then you have a great team.”
