Mississippi State University senior Elgton Jenkins is no stranger to changing positions on the offensive line and it all goes back to his days of playing for the Clarksdale Wildcats.
Jenkins, a 2014 CHS graduate, played every position on the line except for right guard during his career with the Wildcats. That made the transition easy with the Bulldogs, as he started three games at left tackle as a junior, two more at left guard and has been the starting center his entire senior year.
Jenkins and the No. 21 ranked Bulldogs have an overall record of 7-4, are 3-4 in conference play and close the regular season at Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Wildcats assistant coach Greg Wilson prepared Jenkins to be versatile and succeed at MSU.
“It helped a lot,” said Jenkins of moving around on the line at Clarksdale. “Coach Wilson was teaching me the ins and outs of the game. It helped me a lot when transitioning to college.”
First-year Bulldogs coach Joe Moorhead and his assistants knew all Jenkins could do when taking over.
“He knew I fit our last offense real well so he felt like that was the right fit for me,” Jenkins said.
Playing center comes with more responsibility than the other positions on the line.
“You’ve got to put everybody on the right call,” Jenkins said. “You snap the ball and things like that. You have more responsibility playing center. The competition is the same. The job is bigger. That’s it.”
Jenkins and senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, a three-year starter, have been on the same page from the first day.
“We’ve got a good relationship,” Jenkins said. “Me playing O-line and him starting since his sophomore year, we’ve got a good relationship in the way that things are supposed to be run, in the way things are supposed to go.”
While moving around on the line is familiar to Jenkins, he did have to adjust to a new system at MSU.
“The scheme and the concepts are a lot different,” Jenkins said. “At Clarksdale, we run more power football and things like that. Now, we spread it out more.”
The Wildcats have been a playoff team for six consecutive seasons and advanced to the Class 5A quarterfinals twice and the Class 4A second round in 2018.
Jenkins was a senior Wildcat when the streak began in 2013.
“I’ve been following them a lot,” Jenkins said. “They’ve been doing real good. I’m seeing the program has changed. It’s rising. It’s getting better. I feel like they’re moving in the right direction.
“I just want to congratulate those guys and tell them to keep going, keep pushing. One day, we’ll bring another state championship back to Clarksdale.”
While Jenkins was SEC offensive lineman of the week after the offense racked up 607 yards in a 56-10 home win against Louisiana-Lafayette Sept. 15, he felt his personal best game was a 23-9 win at home against Auburn Oct. 6.
“They’re (Auburn) supposed to be one of the top rushing defenses in the nation and we came in and ran the ball consistently,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins is scheduled to graduate Dec. 14 with a degree in industrial technology. He earned spots on the 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll and 2015 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll and credits his parents, Delandra and Elgton Jenkins Sr., for keeping him on the right path.
“I’ve never been in any trouble, things like that,” Jenkins said. “I had in coaches. Just the whole community expects great from you wherever you go around the city.”
Jenkins likely has three more college games, beginning with the Egg Bowl, then Mississippi State’s bowl game and the Senior Bowl on Jan. 26, 2019 in Mobile, Ala.
“I just want to finish strong with my team, get to a good bowl game and just enjoy the rest of the season,” Jenkins said.
With graduation and college football behind Jenkins after the Senior Bowl, he will turn his attention to the NFL.
Jenkins (6 feet, 4 inches, 310 pounds) was listed at 285 pounds as a freshman, but he said he is currently the weight he should be at. He said his strength at football is being consistent, while he could improve on some of his techniques.
His versatility could once again come in handy during the 2019 NFL Draft.
“If the Lord lets me make the NFL, I just want to go, plug in and play any position the team needs me to,” Jenkins said.
“I plan on doing the combine and the pro day and come out here and show my talent to NFL scouts.”
Jenkins and Juantavius “J.T.” Gray both played for the Wildcats and signed with MSU in 2014. They were also college roommates and played peewee football together with the Clarksdale Lumberjacks, but Jenkins was a redshirt and will finish a year later as a result.
Gray, currently an NFL free agent, has spent time with the Saints.
Jenkins welcomes the possibility of being reunited with his longtime teammate and friend, but also has a realistic outlook on things.
“That would be a good thing for me and J.T. being on the same team,” Jenkins said. “We did for peewee, high school and college. It’s probably not likely that will happen.”
Looking back, Jenkins said playing for the Bulldogs was like having another family. He said he plans to give back to his hometown, but has not decided the way he will do that just yet.
“I’ve been there all my life,” Jenkins said. “That’s where I was born at, raised. Clarksdale will always be a part of my heart. You’ve got to get out of the mud when you come from Clarksdale. It helped mold me into the man I am today.”
