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| Jenkins-Stone |
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #52
Last year: Jenkins-Stone was in high school. He had 84 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries; 309 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns; 4 receptions, 43 yards, and 1 touchdown.
Jenkins-Stone is a hulking middle linebacker prospect who should be a very imposing figure once he adds some weight. He was given some high praise early on in the recruiting process and, for whatever reason, didn't produce a great deal during his senior year. Don't get me wrong - those numbers above are very good, but they're not off the charts like many expected. There didn't seem to be a great deal of on-the-field maturation between his junior and senior seasons.
Going into his freshman season, Jenkins-Stone has an uphill battle to climb for playing time. He was recruited for the MIKE position, but the starter is Kenny Demens and fellow freshman Joe Bolden enrolled early and received a lot of hype. And while the depth isn't great at MIKE, there are other options that could slide over from WILL, such as Desmond Morgan and Brandin Hawthorne. There has been some speculation that Jenkins-Stone will play SAM, and that does make sense. The only two SAMs on the roster are redshirt sophomore Jake Ryan and redshirt junior Cam Gordon; last year's other SAMs, Brennen Beyer and Jordan Paskorz, moved to defensive end and tight end, respectively. I actually like the idea of Jenkins-Stone playing SAM because he's not great at diagnosing plays, but either way, he's bound to be no higher than third string. That means he will have to make an impact on special teams or redshirt.
Prediction: Redshirt if possible
Thunder, what is an ideal weight for SAM linebacker? I would have to agree that RJS coming in and playing SAM would be ideal because, as you said, the depth there isn't great. But a redshirt would be nice (and he should get it) since we do have enough guys that could play in case something happens to Ryan and Gordon.
ReplyDeleteWeight is sort of a function of height, but I would say 240-250 lbs. would be ideal. Crable was 245 at about 6'5". If you get much lower than 240, it might be a struggle to hold up against the run.
DeleteDo you think RJS can get that big? It seems like quite a bit of weight for him to put on while only being at about 215 or so currently.
DeleteYeah, I don't think that will be a problem if that's where the coaches want him. Kenny Demens is 6'1" and 245-250 lbs.
DeleteRJS's lack of maturation between his junior and senior year was troubling for me. That's where you typically see the "it" factor kicking in (see: Jake Ryan), and it's the "it" that usually makes or breaks talented players. With the amount of talent M is bringing in at the linebacker position every year, I predict RJS will fizzle unless the light bulb goes on. I'd love to see one of these highly touted Cass guys play to their potential one day, but I don't think it's going to be RJS. Just my opinion, of course.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit of a concern for me, too. I am somewhat encouraged by the recent maturation of Campbell and Thomas Gordon, though.
DeleteYes of course Thomas Gordon is the outlier in this case, but I excluded him from consideration because he came in as a 3-star (ie not highly touted). Campbell gets a pass from me if he plays well this season. Shame that it's his last season; another casualty of the RS mystery from the RR staff.
DeleteI know the two ILB positions are similar but is Hawthorne really an option to slide from WLB to MLB? Seems like he's rather light even for the WILL spot.
ReplyDeleteI think MIKE depth will have top 3 of Demens, Bolden, Jones, but I suspect you're right about Morgan potentially sliding over if there is an injury. People have been viewing Morgan as a potential MIKE all along. Just has to add some muscle.
It's probably in everyone's interest for RJS to red-shirt, but from reading some interviews he sounds like he might not want to. He could help on special teams.
I think Hawthorne is a little bigger than he was last season, but he was playing MIKE in the spring game. I don't know if he's the best candidate to play MIKE because of his lack of size, but he is an option there. Mattison mentioned that he needs to be more physical, and that probably means adding weight. There aren't really any proven options to back up at MIKE, because Demens played virtually every meaningful down last season.
DeleteI think this write-up is spot on. A big problem for Jenkins-Stone is that he is competing against a lot of heady, instinctive LB's such as Morgan, Ross, Bolden, and Ringer. So the coaches will not have to put up with inconsistent/undisciplined LB play like they did with a young Mouton.
ReplyDeleteThe good thing is that RJS was heavily recruited by a lot of good programs, so that says something about is potential. I also predict that he moves to SAM. A lot of fans hype up Cam Gordon, but I am not yet convinced that he is a natural there. So this year or next, I could see RJS or another candidate earning reserve snaps at SAM.