2020 DB Michael Jenkins Jr. sees himself with Chippewas after recent visit


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Belleville High School 2020 defensive back Michael Jenkins Jr. visited Central Michigan on Feb. 23. (Photo Credit: Michael Jenkins Jr.)

Michael Jenkins Jr. plays with a killer instinct on the football field that his Belleville High School teammate, Andre Seldon Jr., claims is unteachable.

Jenkins just has it, and Central Michigan football wants it at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Seldon, a junior four-star cornerback, committed to the University of Michigan back on June 20, and Jenkins is likely to drop his pledge sometime within the next eight months.

In preparation, the junior defensive back is beginning to take an in-depth look at schools on his radar. One of those programs is CMU, and Jenkins was in Mount Pleasant for an unofficial visit on Feb. 23.

"The visit was great," Jenkins said. "They are friendly and made you feel like home. They want to know everything about you, school wise and out of school."

Meeting Beard

Jenkins is listed as an athlete, but the Chippewas see him playing cornerback and safety for assistant coaches David Rowe and Ryan Beard, respectively.

While Jenkins didn't get a chance to meet Rowe, he did sit down with Beard. From 2007-11, Beard was a defensive back at Western Kentucky. He earned two All-Sun Belt Conference selections and picked up Western Kentucky's Iron Man Award as a senior.

In the season following his final campaign as a player, Beard got into coaching – a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky (2012-13) and a full-time defensive backs coach at Louisville (2014, 2017-18), Northern Michigan (2015) and Western Kentucky (2016).

Beard directly influenced cornerback Jaire Alexander, a first round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, when he was working on Bobby Petrino's staff at Louisville.

"He’s all about coaching athletes," Jenkins said. "He wants me to succeed and be the best I can be. He will keep everything 100 percent. Coach (Beard) is all about the people and getting me where I need to be."

Since coming to CMU in early December, coach Jim McElwain has ignited a fire within the players in his system and recruits across the country. Jenkins said McElwain's desire to win is contagious.

“He shows that he wants to take CMU to the next level," Jenkins said.

McElwain played quarterback at Eastern Washington (1980-93) and spent time as an offensive assistant coach at eight different stops, including as an offensive coordinator at Alabama, quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders and wide receivers coach at Michigan. He was a head coach at Colorado State (2012-14) and Florida (2015-17).

Despite McElwain's heavy offensive background, he understands the need for defense to translate into offense. Jenkins is someone with the ability to do just that.

"I look forward to having a very aggressive defense," McElwain said. "We need to make some things happen, and if you do give up a big play, let's give the ball back to the offense. Let's not just sit there."

Jenkins has his eyes set on joining McElwain, but he isn't ready to drop a commitment just yet. He will evaluate all options before making a decision sometime after his senior season begins in August.

"I’m just going to wait and see how everything goes," Jenkins said.

Package deal

Jenkins and his other teammate, junior wide receiver Jalen Williams, have dreamt about playing at the collegiate level together. And, as a matter of fact, the pair could end up as a package deal.

Williams, at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, has offers to Alabama A&M, CMU, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo, while Jenkins' only opportunity is to join the Chippewas.

Even if Williams and Jenkins are forced to separate, they plan to remain close for life. Right now, CMU is the single option for both of them to link up at the Division I level.

“We’re like brothers," Jenkins said. "If we separate, we still going to be brothers no matter what.”

Though Seldon is locked in to play for coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines, he still gave high praise to Jenkins' on-field abilities.

"He can be effective in every phase of the game," Seldon said.

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