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High school football: Forge graduate Jenkins signs with Ole Miss Date published: 3/20/2008
BY JUSTIN RICE
When his senior football season at Colonial Forge ended in 2006, Marques Jenkins expected recruiters to come knocking with scholarship offers but they never came. So Jenkins enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy, hoping to improve his stock at one of the country's most noted prep schools. That decision appears to have paid off. Jenkins has signed a scholarship offer from the University of Mississippi. He'll enroll at the Southeastern Conference school for summer classes, hoping to get an early start with his new team. Though Oxford, Miss., is a 14-hour drive from Stafford, Jenkins won't be there alone. Five other Hargrave football players signed with the Rebels this year, the first recruiting class for Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, who left the University of Arkansas for Oxford in December. "At Hargrave, Marques became close friends with [Ole Miss recruit] Enrique Davis," said Stan Jenkins, Marques' father. "[Davis] had some influence with coach Nutt. Nutt saw his game film and was impressed." When the February signing day arrived, Jenkins had offers from smaller schools, but his Hargrave coaches told him to be patient. Often as larger schools lose a recruit to a rival or suffer an academic casualty, opportunities arise. And that's exactly what happened with Jenkins. "Marques talked to coach Nutt I don't know how many times and after the conversations I had with him, this appears to be the best fit," Stan Jenkins said. "He's going to be around five or six of his teammates. "I told my wife there won't be any driving for gametime though. We'll be flying." Jenkins was a defensive end and tight end at Colonial Forge. At Hargrave, he played defensive end, linebacker and even at times defensive tackle. "He wasn't necessarily big enough to play in there," Stan Jenkins said. "But he was about the second strongest kid on the team. So he could make up for his size with his strength." Jenkins is 6-foot-2 and 254 pounds. Stan Jenkins said his son will likely end up at defensive end or possibly linebacker for Ole Miss. "We're going back to Oxford for the spring game," Stan Jenkins said. "He's really excited to be going down there." Justin Rice: 540/368-5045
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