Baylor Football: 3 early 2021 signees who’ll have instant impacts

By the end of the season, Baylor was putting fourth and fifth stringers at running back. The Bears were decimated with injuries at the position, and was by far, the biggest weakness on the team. Leading returner John Lovett was sidelined with an injury halfway through the season. His partner in crime Trestan Ebner could never stay consistently healthy. Third-stringer and the most explosive back, Squirl Williams, tore his ACL against Iowa State in early November.

For the season finale against Oklahoma State, it was redshirt freshman Qualan Jones and true freshman Taye McWilliams that were the featured backs. With Lovett in the transfer portal and Ebner as a senior on the fence, this is a chance for Jenkins to shine.

Jenkins has one final game left as he will be competing for the 4A state championship on Thursday. His production has been astronomical since starting as a sophomore. His previous two seasons, he finished with 2,926 yards and 44 touchdowns. He eclipsed both of those numbers in his senior season alone.

The all-time record for rushing touchdowns in a season is set at 63. That was by Texas A&M’s Johnathan Gray. He rushed for that, while playing at 6A. Jenkins is a straight north-south runner and possess good size. Although he is not built as well as McWilliams or Jones, he’s a respectable 202 pounds.

The youth at running back is just as much as quarterback. This opens up a player that finished with 94 touchdowns in his high school career, a shot at starting. The four-star is the second-highest ranked player in the class and has among the best chances of receiving significant playing time as a freshman.