The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The strain of Jenkins’ season
Here’s yet another summation of the disappointment that has been Georgia’s season: Jordan Jenkins had been the Iron Man of the defense the past three seasons, not missing a game. Then, just as he was on the verge of a breakthrough senior season, he got hurt.
A muscle strain — near his groin and abdomen — has bothered Jenkins basically all season. It caused him to miss the Missouri game, ending his 46-game playing streak at Georgia. And it has slowed him and limited his snaps for basically all of October.
Jenkins hopes to play a bit more against Kentucky, but it’s only hope until he can actually do it.
“I’m getting treatment two to three times a day. I’m getting rehab,” he said. “It’s up to me to prove to the coach- es this week that I’m healthy and I can play more soundly than I tried doing last week.”
Early in the season, either the first or second game, Jenkins’ hip flexor started to feel sore. He dealt with it by getting treatment, though it continued to be sore. He managed three sacks for Georgia in September.
Then, against Alabama, he aggravated it while running, and in the following Monday’s practice he noticed it hurt a lot more. He tried to play through it against Tennessee, heard something pop on the third play, then finally had to give up.
He played only around 10 snaps against Florida, and about 5-to-7 at Tennessee. In between he missed the entire Missouri game.
“It was a new feeling being stuck on the sideline, watching everybody play,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins mulled entering the NFL draft after last season, but came back for a number of reasons, including wanting to have one big final season. Instead, this season has been marred by injuries and through eight games he has only three sacks.
“It definitely very frustrating, but at the same time I also treat it as a learning experience because it made me realize you never know how long you have to play the game of football. I’m lucky that my injury wasn’t as serious as other guys’. But it made me appreciate the game that much more. I feel like I’m gonna play a lot hungrier when I’m out there on the field, because of the time I missed and make up for the lost time.”