By Will Vandervort.
Martin Jenkins can’t wait to get on the field in Athens, Ga. As one of 11 Clemson players from the state of Georgia, Jenkins is looking forward to playing against the Bulldogs in his home state. He is also excited about the opportunity that awaits him and the rest of the Clemson secondary.
Though Georgia is known for having running backs like Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, don’t be surprised to see the Bulldogs attack the secondary with quarterback Hutson Mason.
Everyone will be expecting the Tigers to load up the box to shutdown Gurley and Marshall so that means Mason will try and test the Clemson secondary, which many consider to be the weak link of the defense because of youth and inexperience.
“We look forward to every challenge,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins, a senior, is one of four guys vying for the second cornerback spot when the Tigers open the season on Aug. 30 at 12th-ranked Georgia. Redshirt freshman Mackensie Alexander won the other spot in the spring and has done nothing this summer or in camp to lose the coaches’ trust in him, while Jenkins is in an intense battle with Garry Peters, Cordrea Tankersley, Adrian Baker and Ryan Carter for the other job.
“We all bring something good to the table which is what is good about the secondary,” Jenkins said. “Some guys are long and ranging and cover this way. I’m more short and quick. That is kind of my territory, sort of speak. That’s kind of more of what I offer.
“But let’s say a guy like Garry Peters – he is long and has a lot more range than me. Then there is a guy like Mackensie and he is not the tallest and he is not the shortest, but he can kind of do everything. He is kind of in the middle. He is so versatile that he can do everything.”
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables says it is unlikely the second corner position will be settled this week and it may go all the way up to kick off before he names a starter. The same can be said for the battle at free safety between Jayron Kearse and Jadar Johnson.
“Everybody is just getting in and trying to fit in,” Jenkins said. “When you get that opportunity to play and show the coach what you got, you do what you can.”
Last year, Jenkins did not get to do too much. Though he played in all 13 games, he was limited at times. He finished the season with 26 tackles in 311 snaps with one interception which he returned 52 yards for a touchdown in the Tigers’ win over S.C. State.
“I struggled last year with a lot of different things,” he said. “But this year has been a new year for me and a great year for me. My body is feeling great so I’m feeling good about it. Other than the first year I got here, this is definitely the healthiest year for me.”
In two weeks, Jenkins will have an opportunity to prove that as will the rest of a secondary that no one outside of Clemson seems to be talking about.
“We have a chip on our shoulder every year because our names are not called a lot,” the senior said. “It’s not like people are saying, ‘Oh! Our DBs are going to be great this year.’ We know what we bring and we know what we can do, but we just have to go prove it.”