Michigan football: 3 of 4 goals not enough for Kris Jenkins, who vows better next year
While several of his teammates and coaches wiped the tears from their eyes and said their goodbyes — some for the last time after a game — following a loss to TCU, defensive lineman Kris Jenkins met with reporters for several minutes. He was disappointed, of course, with the Wolverines’ play in a disappointing setback in a game he and his teammates knew they should have won.
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Jenkins was one of many who helped Michigan get back to the cusp of a national title, epitomizing the team’s desire. When we saw him this summer in Grand Rapids on the team’s tour around the state, he had a protein bar in his mouth and another in his pocket, demonstrating his commitment to gaining good weight.
“I’m 282,” he said through bites when asked, adding he hoped to get up to 290.
He wants to be close to 300 pounds by next year … that’s his personal offseason goal. As for the team …
“This year, we got three out of four goals. Next year we want to get four out of four,” Jenkins said. “Not want … must. That’s the mentality we’re going to have and we’re going to continue to improve.”
Jenkins, one of the stars of the Ohio State game, was part of a defense that played uncharacteristically poorly against the Horned Frogs. It clearly didn’t sit well.
“It was just mainly missing our assignments and missed tackling. We had to do a better job of that, especially in the first half,” he said. “That hurt us a little bit. Obviously, as the game continued to go on, we continued to get better and better.”
But … it wasn’t good enough. And it was a tough way to go out, he admitted, after a season in which they played so well.
“Absolutely it’s a little hard to stomach … we’re always taught to stay resilient, stay calm, whatever the score is, whatever the situation is. You never know the outcome,” Jenkins said. “Football is a crazy game. It can be 28-3 at halftime. The next thing you know, the team down wins. We’re always taught no matter the situation, just leave it all on the field.”
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But they didn’t play well enough to win, and when the offense finally got going, the defense let them down.
The goal next year is to get another shot, just as it was a year earlier when Georgia beat the Wolverines in the Orange Bowl. In past years, guys might have flocked to the NFL in droves. Kicker Jake Moody, who returned for one more season when he didn’t have to, credited the culture on his way out.
Players don’t want to leave now, and Jenkins knows why.
“Absolutely,” Jenkins said when asked if he’d be back next year. “Just the culture. The coaches, the players, the staff — everybody just worked hard to make this a culture, make this a family environment. Not just a team, but a family … you could really feel that environment. You could really feel the love from everybody on all sides.
“Obviously, players want to improve themselves, get better individually, but there’s also love for each other. We want to see everybody succeed. We want to see everybody get better. Coach [Jim Harbaugh] and everybody at Michigan has done a really good job with that. That’s why I love this place so much.”
And why Jenkins will be back next season — quite possibly as a captain — to try to help Michigan finally reach the pinnacle.
