Tennessee defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins changes plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

After announcing his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, Tennessee defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins has now changed his decision, according to Vol Quest’s Matt Ray.

According to Ray, on Tuesday Jenkins was planning to enter the portal and explore options closer to his home state of New Jersey. But has now had a change of heart and will remain with the Volunteers ahead of the 2024 season as he looks to be an impact player on the team’s defensive line rotation.

In his first year with Tennessee, Jenkins redshirted after making one game appearance versus Ball State where he recorded two tackles. And last season for the Vols he played six games, racking up four total tackles on the season.

Jenkins played high school football at Notre Dame High School in Trenton (NJ) where he was a three-star recruit. Ranked the No. 1,088 overall prospect in the nation and the No. 118 defensive lineman from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

At 6-foot-6, 250 pounds Jenkins surely has the size to be an impact player on Tennessee’s defense. And during Volunteers’ spring practice he did receive some high praise from defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

“Jayson is just a blue-collar guy,” Garner said last month. “He just comes to work every day with his lunchbox and he puts in the work, and you have seen that guy grow in leaps and bounds, incrementally. I mean, he truly has taken steps where he can really have a role on this defense, and I think he’s gained the respect of his peers, because nobody’s given him anything.”

“He’s prideful about it. He loves this place. He wants to be here. I’m sure he could leave and go somewhere and probably would have had a lot more success with that, just like we had another young man leave before and go off to another school and did really well for them. So we’re happy that he’s staying and we’re excited about his expanded role that we expect from him this year”

Garner’s comments came prior to Jenkins dabbling in the possibility of entering the portal, but continue to ring true as he he returns to Rocky Top following a brief moment where that did not seem like the case.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.