Jenkins stabilizes UNM’s offensive line
307-pounder has started all 26 games in his two seasons
Football linemen sometimes acquire nicknames befitting their wider-thantall stature. The Chicago Bears’ William Perry was “The Refrigerator.” The Dallas Cowboys’ Nate Newton was “The Kitchen.”
Aaron Jenkins’ nickname is not “The Foundation,” but it should be — not so much for his physical dimensions (6-foot-1, 307 pounds) but for what he means to the New Mexico Lobos’ offensive line.
In his first two seasons of action, Jenkins has started all 26 of UNM’s games. Clearly, he’s one reason the Lobos went 16-10 in 2015-16 after going 11-26 during coach Bob Davie’s first three years. Jenkins earned All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention last season.
He has been on the field for some 1,500 snaps those past two seasons, in a virtual tie among current players for the team lead in that department with quarterback Lamar Jordan. But Jordan is a redshirt senior, Jenkins a redshirt junior.
With two 2016 starters gone — left guard Chris Lewis and left tackle Reno Henderson, a second-team All-MWC pick — offensive line coach Saga Tuitele knows he can count on Jenkins to provide stability and leadership from his right guard spot.
“Anytime anyone plays over 1,500
snaps in his career and still has two years left, that’s a plus at any position,” Tuitele said after Monday’s spring practice session. “It’s very comforting, number one, that we have an experienced guy, and number two, that the experienced guy is motivated. He’s not resting on his laurels.
“(Jenkins) is still hungry. He’s coachable, he’s actually playing better than he was last year, he’s listening and he’s helping the younger guys, so that’s very comforting.”
Jenkins said he embraces his role as a leader on the O-line, taking his cue from former Lobo LaMar Bratton. Jenkins was a true freshman, sitting out the 2014 season after injuring a shoulder, when Bratton was a first-team all-conference center as a senior.
“I feel like those young guys need somebody to look up to, just like (Bratton),” Jenkins said. “... I know how it feels to have to learn plays and not know what to do and not play with technique. So I know what these guys are gong through, and I just try to help.”
Jenkins is not UNM’s only experienced returning offensive lineman. Senior Blaise Fountain started all 13 games at center last season. Senior Avery Jordan got seven starts at right tackle. All three have been with the first-team offense throughout the spring.
The other two spots, however, are up for grabs. Redshirt sophomore Charlie Grammel and senior Ray Baylor III are the leading candidates, but redshirt sophomore Beau Hott and redshirt freshmen Jonathan Brys and Kameron Smith are in the mix. Redshirt sophomores Nick Iacovangelo and Izrael Castellanos have been limited by injuries in the spring but could be factors come the fall.
Versatility, said Tuitele, is crucial. Baylor has worked at right tackle and left guard, as has Grammel. Hott, Fountain’s backup at center, has taken some snaps at guard. Jordan, who moved from right tackle to left tackle as Henderson’s replacement, took some snaps back at right tackle on Monday.
The one offensive lineman who hasn’t moved is Jenkins — consistently stationed at right guard, though he has played at tackle in the past.
“I feel like I have to be the anchor for the offensive line, and I feel like our guards have to play with the most intensity, the most aggressiveness,” Jenkins said.
The Lobos recruited Jenkins out of Lincoln High School in Dallas, beating out Rice for his services. During Davie’s recruiting visit, Jenkins, a member of the school choir, sang a song to the piano accompaniment of his mother, Lisa.
Now, some three years later, Davie sings Jenkins’ praises.
“Man, he’s a stalwart in there,” Davie said. “He’s a guy that’s the foundation.”