Jenkins Sends Paperwork & St. Louis better (Trib)

[E.T.]

USF's Jenkins Sends Paperwork In To NFL

Published: Dec 18, 2006

TAMPA - As the University of South Florida prepares for Saturday’s Papajohnscom Bowl against East Carolina, CB Mike Jenkins is taking preliminary steps to prepare for his future.

The 6-foot, 200-pound ju nior has sent his paperwork to the NFL advisory committee, which will tell Jenkins in which round of the NFL draft he is projected to be taken.

“I want Mike to do whatev- er’s best for Mike,†Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said. “If he comes back and plays, it’ll just help him. If he leaves, the other corners that are behind him get more excited.â€Â

Jenkins, who has one in terception and leads USF with 12 pass breakups this season, has three interceptions and 26 pass breakups for his career.

BULLS DEPART: The USF Stu dent Bulls Club is holding a sendoff for the football team about 4 p.m. today as the Bulls depart for Birmingham, Ala. The sendoff will be held on the west side of the school’s athlet ic facility at the student-athlete entrance. Anthony Mozzicato, of the USF Student Bulls Club, said USF cheerleaders, Rocky the Bull and possibly some band members will be in at tendance. What? You need more incentive? OK, Mozzicato said there will be free pizza provided for Bulls fans  from Papa John’s, for the business â€â€rd of course.

WONDERFUL SIGHT: Senior LB Patrick St. Louis practiced for the first time since injuring his ankle in the first quarter against West Virginia on Nov. 25.

“He’s probably 75 percent,†defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. “We wanted to get him in there and see what he could do. We want to make sure he’s on top of things more mentally than physically.â€Â

Gregg Becnel, Brett McMurphy

[Matt]

jim where are you........

[Guest]

jim where are you........

He's probably watching game film of ECU.

;-)

[Matt]

no jim, i was referring to you.  this topic has already been posted......

i was waiting for you to link it.

[Guest]

no jim, i was referring to you.  this topic has already been posted......

i was waiting for you to link it.

I know... but with all the new members AND lots of activity, threads are pushed down so quickly...

Plus this was a story specifically about Jenkins where the other was a Yahoo sports story about all of the underclassmen doing it.

[E.T.]

Read more on Greg's blog:

In talking Monday night with Jim Leavitt after practice, I get a strong sense that cornerback Mike Jenkins might be playing his last game with the Bulls on Saturday. Jenkins has submitted his name to the NFL's advisory board for underclassmen considering early entry to the draft in April, and while running back Andre Hall and linebacker Stephen Nicholas did the same thing in the past two years, it sounds like Jenkins is a different situation. Leavitt said all he can do is relay the information to his players, but said Jenkins -- perhaps USF's fastest player -- was "looking pretty strong" into the possibility of leaving. When I talked to Bradenton Southeast coach Paul Maechtle on Monday, he said he hadn't talked with Jenkins, but Leavitt had talked to him about Jenkins' interest in leaving after his junior season. His speed is a great measurable, something the NFL truly values, but nobody knows what Jenkins will need to hear to be comfortable leaving after this season.

Leavitt spoke at length about how comfortable he is with his defensive secondary with or without Jenkins -- Trae Williams returns on the other side after leading the Big East with seven interceptions, and backups Ryan Gilliam and Jerome Murphy played extensively this season. Add in three experienced returning safeties in Danny Verpaele, Carlton Williams and Louis Gachette, plus a promising and versatile player in Tyller Roberts, and the secondary will be one of USF's most experienced positions next season, even without Jenkins. The Big East also should lose its top passers in players like Pittsburgh's Tyler Palko and, perhaps, Louisville's Brian Brohm, should he too decide to leave for the NFL.