Spirit's Take: Here's what Ole Miss is adding in Vanderbilt transfer safety Dashaun Jerkins
Ole Miss and the Portal King, Lane Kiffin, continue to stay vigilant in the NCAA Transfer Portal on Memorial Day Weekend with the addition of former Vanderbilt safety Dashaun Jerkins.
The Woodbridge, Va., prospect originally signed with the Commodores in 2018. He held other notable offers from North Carolina, Louisville, NC State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Purdue, Rutgers and Wake Forest.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Jerkins, the newest portal addition, took an official visit to Oxford two weeks ago. It was clearly enough to push him to close things down and choose to transfer from the SEC East to the SEC West.
Jerkins was a one-time On3 Consensus three-star prospect.
He was also a 2017 First Team All-State selection.
Jerkins and his teammates went 12-2 over his senior season and won a state title. He had 85 tackles, four interceptions, five defensed passes and 46 receptions, 509 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“I was recruited by Arizona State and Washington out in the Pac-12 and Virginia Tech, Virginia, Duke, and others in the ACC,” Jerkins said. “But in the SEC it was Ole Miss who caught my eye the most.
“I plan to build something here.”
Jerkins has primarily communicated with co-defensive coordinator Chris Partridge.
He said he knew after he spent just two days in Oxford Ole Miss was the place for him.
“It was fun and I enjoyed being coached by coach Partridge,” Jerkins said. “This staff is great, along with the players and I wanted to help them win big games in the fall.
“I look to come in and play a pivotal role on this team. I believe in coach Partridge and the staff believes in me and my abilities.”
Jerkins says the staff likes versatility in the secondary, however, they are recruiting him primarily as a safety.
“I’ve played all safety positions and am comfortable with many spots on the field,” he said.
Jerkins is excited about his move from the SEC East to the SEC West.
He plans on embracing the challenge in his debut Ole Miss season.
“I’ve seen how I fit within their system and how I could make big time plays. It intrigued me even more to want to be there,” Jerkins said.
“This will be a different atmosphere coming from Vanderbilt but I’m ready to take that on and showcase my talent on a bigger stage.”
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Jerkins plans on moving in later this week to get started with his new teammates this summer. He totaled 145 total tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and 1.5 tackles for loss during his Vanderbilt career.
He had eight or more tackles in four games and a season-high 11 stops against Ole Miss in 2020. Jerkins had 42 tackles and snagged all three of his career interceptions a year later.
SPIRIT’S TAKE
Jerkins is an opportunistic safety who plays with purpose at all three levels, and he was notorious for forcing fumbles during his time in Nashville but was also instrumental in pass coverage as well for the Commodores.
Ole Miss and co-defensive coordinators Chris Partridge and Maurice Crum will still be in the 3-2-6 in 2022 and will almost certainly be rotating in fresh bodies to combat the up-tempo style most have adapted.
Jerkins seems like a safety who will be a key cog in helping Ole Miss replace the playmaking ability of former Rebels Chance Campbell, Mark Robinson and Jake Springer.
Ole Miss added Iowa State safety Isheem Young and Auburn’s Ladarrius Tennison to help out in coverage and close to the line of scrimmage.
Jerkins joins those two transfers in Partridge’s safety room and will be someone we believe will be counted on to make key stops in conference play. And given his size and affinity for playing physical close to the line of scrimmage, he could potentially get moved to a hybrid linebacker/safety role.
The newest Rebel has two years of eligibility remaining.
Impact Potential: 8.2/10
