Trip around southeast leads Jenkins to Clemson

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Jan 23 10:22:33 GMT-04:00 2010

Martin Jenkins knew Clemson was home even before he had an offer from the Tigers.

Jenkins is the 3-star cornerback recruit out of Roswell, Georgia, who has committed to play at Clemson, but he said it was a week-and-a-half trip he took with some high school teammates that planted the seed for his becoming a Tiger.

Jenkins said that a group of players got together, including his friend and Stanford commitment David Yankey, and took a trip to all of the big schools in the Southeast – including Florida, North Carolina, Clemson and South Carolina, and Jenkins said Clemson impressed him from the start.

“We went on that trip and visited all of the ACC and SEC teams, and when I got to Clemson, I really liked the campus,” Jenkins said. “Before I went there, all I knew about was the football. I did not know about the campus and the academics and the coaches, but when I got back home, that is when I got invited to Clemson.

“I went up there with my dad for an unofficial visit first, and after just 10 or 15 minutes of talking to the coaches, I knew that was where I wanted to be. We went out to eat, and I told my dad that I could tell from the coaches, and the way we connected, that this was where I wanted to be. I pretty much just liked everything about it.”

Jenkins said he was glad to learn that defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, who flirted with taking the same position at Tennessee earlier this week, is staying in Clemson.

“I got to watch them some last season, and I even went to four Clemson games,” Jenkins said. “I got to watch them up close and in person, and I love the way Coach Steele puts a defense together. The way he coaches, you can generate a lot of picks from it. I like their style.”

Jenkins said he is looking forward to getting to Clemson, and a highlight for him will be when he gets to make his first start as a Tiger. In fact, he also already has one opponent circled.

“Once I do, if I end up starting, I really look forward to playing Georgia Tech,” he said. “Just because I am from the Atlanta area, and everybody around here and around my school loves Georgia Tech. They get on me and stuff, and this year was tough, they got us. But it would be nice if everybody around here could see me play against Tech.”

Jenkins was asked if he would have any problem trying to tackle Tech’s running backs, even though he plays in the secondary, and the answer was an unequivocal “no”.

“I am definitely not afraid to get up in run support and make a tackle,” he said. “I am an in-your-face, bump and run corner – that is my favorite way to play.”