Moses Jenkins - Stepping Up and Locking Down
Saturday, September 11, 2010 | Football
By Kyle Niblett, UF Communications
“If God could put together a perfect corner, you'd be that,” Florida cornerbacks coach Chuck Heater said during two-a-days in August.
It's hard to imagine that a cornerbacks coach with over 30 years of coaching experience would make such a bold statement to a player with zero career starts entering the 2010 season, but Heater made such a statement to cornerback Moses Jenkins.
Jenkins, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound senior from Coral Springs, Fla., is just now surfacing on Florida's bottomless depth chart as one of the top corners on the team. Before this season, Jenkins had appeared in 23 career games for the Gators, playing a pivotal role on a special teams' unit that has consistently been one of the nation's finest since he arrived in Gainesville. After collecting just four tackles his freshman year, highlighted by his first career sack against arch-rival Florida State, the Boyd H. Anderson High graduate became a dominant force on special teams for the 2008 national championship squad. Jenkins' ferocious downfield tackling was often a momentum changer, at least according to head coach Urban Meyer.
"I love Moses because he's done a lot for our special teams," Meyer said. "He's one of those undercover guys. When we beat Georgia in 2008, he made the opening tackle (on the kickoff) on the 17-yard line and that set the whole tone (for the game).”
Jenkins, who was named to the 2007 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll, was smart enough to realize early on at UF that the fastest way up the depth chart was through outstanding performance on special teams.
“Special teams have always been important to me ever since I came here,” Jenkins said. “It's the quickest way to see the field here, and it's what we do. To run down the field and get that first big hit of the game before the defense even gets out there can really fire everybody up, and it's something I take a lot of pride in.”
Despite his consistent play on special teams, Jenkins had an intense desire to play his natural position of corner on Saturdays. Attaining that goal proved difficult, with All-American Joe Haden at one corner, and 2010 preseason All-SEC corner Janoris Jenkins at the other the last two seasons. Moses, being as smart as he is, took it in stride. He developed a close bond with Haden, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. The bond with Haden has taught him a lot, as the two still keep in touch at least once a week.
“Coming out of high school, I was real immature,” Jenkins said. “I guessed at routes and dove on tackles. Now, I'm learning how to break down my tackles, read receiver routes and stay off the ball.”
Jenkins was poised to play a bigger role on defense last season, but a concussion suffered at Kentucky on Sept. 26, 2009, ended his season. The social and behavioral sciences major missed the final 10 games, but has since made a serious push for the starting cornerback spot. Since recovering, Jenkins is extremely eager to show the Gator Nation what he's capable of at his natural position.
“I've enjoyed playing special teams the last couple of years, but it's important that I start at cornerback,” Jenkins said. “I've been around here for a long time and don't have much to show for it. I think it's my time to show what I can do."
Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Brown, Jenkins' competition throughout fall camp at the number two corner spot, sees the talent that Jenkins brings to the field each and every day.
"Moses is long – he's a really tall and rangy corner," Brown said. "He handles the bigger receivers better because he can match up with those receivers. He's talented and he has everything. It's hard to pinpoint anything wrong with his game."
Regardless of the fact that Jenkins has never started a game, every teammate and coach in the Florida football program knows what he is capable of accomplishing this fall. Jenkins knows that every big special teams' hit, every practice rep and every treatment session has led up to this season. This season, being his last, has developed a sense of urgency in Jenkins' game. He knows that time is running out on his chance to make an impact. He also knows he has earned the chance to make one… so does Coach Meyer.
“He's done a lot for us,” Meyer said. “He's a great kid, from a great family. We're all cheering for him because he deserves a chance."
It's easy to see how wanting to be a starter could impact a player focused on competitive excellence when it comes to a grand stage like the Southeastern Conference. However, when you ask Jenkins about his ultimate goal, the senior reverts back to his team-first “Count on Me” attitude that he formed while a member of the special teams.
“I want to get better every day as a player, but the ultimate goal is to help this team in any way I can get back to Atlanta and win another SEC Championship,” Jenkins said. If I can help the team do that, then I've done my job.”
