Justin Jenkins was the only high school offensive line recruit Nebraska signed in the past cycle, and he was also one of two prospects from the state of New Jersey from the 2022 class who will be Cornhuskers in college.
Husker head coach Scott Frost gave his signing day comments about Jenkins:
“Justin Evans-Jenkins is a kid that we have had our eye on for a long time. His whole recruitment kind of happened late. He is a kid that wrestles in high school and has the right demeanor. I love how aggressive he plays, and really believe in his potential. We kind of were selective with our spots and being really careful with our spots and did not want to give them away to anybody that we didn’t think was somebody we felt really good about being able to come in and make a difference for us. We brought Justin in on the last visit possible and after he was here, everybody liked him even more. We really wanted him to get around our new offensive line coach Coach (Donovan) Raiola and they hit it off and Donovan really believes in him. We were really excited to get that addition late.”
Below is another in our series of "Getting to know you" features which we will be running on the members of Nebraska's 2022 recruiting class. We will be doing the GTKs of all the early enrollees first, and then completing the rest of the class.
Position: Center
Irvington, New Jersey
Current size: 6-foot-2, 280-pounds
Rankings: Jenkins is rated a 5.6 three-star by Rivals, as well as the No. 18 recruit in the state of New Jersey. He was named a first-team all-state selection in New Jersey on the offensive line as both a senior and a junior.
Statistics: As a senior, Jenkins helped lead Irvington to a 12-2 record and a state championship in 2021. As a junior, he helped the Blue Knights rush for more than 2,000 yards and he recorded 52 tackles and five sacks as a defensive lineman.
Other schools offering scholarships: Alabama, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Indiana, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, Massachusetts and Kent State.
PERSONAL PREFERENCES
What do you do in your spare time?
“Most of the time, I like to hang out with family. I like to travel and play sports. So far this year, I've been to Texas and Nebraska, but usually, before COVID I did travel a lot with my family. I've been to the Dominican Republic. That's the only other country I've been to. I would like to continue to travel throughout the U.S. to places like Florida, Texas and the Carolinas."
What food do you like the best?
“My favorite food is chicken wings from Wing Stop. I like original hot and heavy barbecue."
What is your favorite television show?
“I would say All-America."
Do you have a favorite movie?
“Coming to America. I like the comedy in that movie."
What type of music do you listen to and who is your favorite musical artist?
“My favorite artist is Lil Dirk and the music I listen to is rap and R&B."
Who is your celebrity crush?
"I would have to say Zendaya. She's an actress."
Who has provided great inspiration to you in your life?
"My mom because she inspires me to be better every day."
What person(s) from history or alive today would you most like to sit down and have dinner with?
“My grandma who passed away in 2005. I only had a short time with her and I really don't remember her. But, with the stories my family tells me, I feel like I know her. I would like to sit down and have a long conversation with her."
Do you have a nickname?
“5-3. That's my number and everybody calls me 5-3."
What is something very few people know about you?
“That I actually like anime."
If football wasn’t an option, what would your dream career be?
"My dream career would be to own a construction company and work in the architecture field. I would like to build homes."
Do you have a major picked out yet?
“It's something in the line between business management or architecture."
Have you met all the academic requirements to enroll at Nebraska?
“Yes."
THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS
Who is your favorite football player of all-time?
“I would say Aaron Donald. Because he's a small guy like me, you know, and he still dominates the NFL."
Who is the best football player you've personally played against in a game?
“I don't remember their name. This was like my freshman or sophomore year and I think he played d-line for Bergen Catholic. He stood out to me."
What has been the most memorable moment on the football field so far in your career?
“Winning the first state championship for Irvington high school this season. I know we lost two games, so we were either 12-2 or 10-2. It was for public schools and it was the first in our high school's history."
Which school are you most looking forward to playing against in college?
"I would say Penn State or Rutgers. One of my good friends plays for Rutgers, so I'm excited for that. His name is Zaire Angoy and he plays d-tackle."
Do you have a pre-game ritual?
“Besides listening to music, I usually pray with my mom or pray with my grandpa."
Did you play other sports growing up or in high school?
"Yeah, growing up I played soccer a little while. I actually did tennis for two summers. So, a lot of people don't know that about me, too. It was hard, that's for sure. I also just started wrestling once I got to high school. This year I haven't been wrestling, though."
What is the one thing you most need to work on to play at the next level?
“I would say just to stay in the weight room and get bigger and get stronger."
How often do you work out and what is your routine?
“During the season, we would work out at least three times a week. The routine was just the regular arms one day, legs the next day, and stuff like that."
WHY NEBRASKA
What did you know about the Nebraska football program before they offered and started recruiting you?
"Well, I knew that it was a really good program because one of my former teammates actually went to Nebraska. And every time I used to talk to him, he would always give me advice about picking a school. He actually never persuaded or pressured me to come to Nebraska. It was just the talks we had about real life stuff. I would always ask him, 'How is it out there and do you like it out there?' He was like, 'I love it out here and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.' So, that had a lot of influence on my choice as well. My former teammate is Mikai Gbayor."
Do you have any family ties to the Husker football program or the state of Nebraska?
"Well, a few of the coaches are actually from New Jersey, so I know some people that know some of the coaches there."
How did you inform the Nebraska staff of your commitment?
"They offered me a scholarship to go there and I simply responded: 'Yes, I would love to!' It was the last day of my visit there."
What were the major determining factors in your picking Nebraska and signing with the Huskers?
“Besides the football and everything, which is real good, I wanted to make sure I was going somewhere that I knew I could call this place home. You hear what I'm saying? Like, I wanted to make sure the program was built on family because coming from Irvington our program is built on family. So, I wouldn't go anywhere where I wouldn't feel comfortable, protected and safe. At Nebraska, I felt like the coaches would protect me and I felt safe."
Did the Nebraska coaches do anything unique when they were recruiting you that other colleges didn't?
“What stood out to me the most is, during my visit, I sat down with one of the coaches and we didn't talk about football at all. We talked about real life stuff, and a lot of coaches didn't do that. I can't remember his name, but it was the strength coach."
Which Nebraska coach do you feel especially close to?
“Besides my o-line coach, Coach (Donovan) Raiola, I would say Coach (Mike) Dawson because he's the one who recruited me and looked out for me. I would also say Coach Frost."
What was the best feature of your official visit to Nebraska?
“I most enjoyed being able to meet the coaches and getting to see Mikai out there. I was just excited to go there with my mom because she wanted me to go somewhere that she liked as well. She liked the same things I mentioned before: the family feel of the coaches."
Did Nebraska’s weather factor into your recruitment?
"No, because it's pretty much the same weather as in New Jersey. There's not much difference."
Did you make friends with any current players at Nebraska or incoming freshmen during the process?
“I actually got to meet some of Mikai's friends while I was out there, and I met another recruit and we became pretty cool with each other. So, at least I have somebody coming in that I know."
What did you think of Nebraska's season?
"I feel like the season, you know, was pretty good. Unfortunately, everyone can't move on, so that's it. I'm pretty excited to come out there and change the program around this upcoming year."
A LOOK AT THE RECRUITING PROCESS
What's the funniest or craziest thing that happened to you during the recruiting process?
“Probably just like a coach communicating with me and talking to me a lot, but not offering me. That was maybe the craziest."
What was your favorite moment during the recruiting process?
“I would say my favorite moment was when I received my first scholarship offer. I believe it was from Cincinnati."
What was the worst moment during the recruiting process?
“I would say COVID, definitely! I think we can all agree on that one!"
What is one thing you learned that you would share with a recruit going through the process now?
"When it comes to making a decision, make sure to make the smartest a decision for you. I would say don't just go somewhere because it looks nice and it's big. I would say just go where it makes the most sense to go. Don't over-think it. The biggest thing is not to fall for the social media hype because a lot of people can get sucked into that."
Which school would you have chosen if you hadn't decided in favor of Nebraska?
“I would probably say Penn State because they were recruiting me around the same time."
FUTURE AND GOALS
What position will you be playing at Nebraska?
“Center."
Are you expecting to redshirt your first year at Nebraska?
“No."
What number would you like to wear at Nebraska?
“If not 53, I would like to wear 52."
What are your goals for your first year in college?
“To get bigger, better and stronger. I would like to earn a spot on the field."
What will you bring to Nebraska as far as a strong point?
“I feel like I can bring my talent to the program and help turn the program around. Because we have a new o-line coach and he's building this program. I feel like I am bringing my talent not only to Nebraska, but to the Big Ten."
What would you like to say to the Nebraska fans?
“Be prepared for what's coming next."
