Jayson Jenkins injury update: Mike Norvell reveals Florida State newcomers availability for season opener

This offseason, Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell dipped into the Transfer Portal, looking to rebuild the roster ahead of the 2025 season. That included bringing in defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins.

Unfortunately for Florida State, Jenkins has been battling an injury that cost him spring practice. Now, when Norvell was asked about his status at the ACC spring meetings, he shared a vague injury update on the newcomer.

“We’ll see.” Mike Norvell said. “That’s going to be something that — he is progressing really well in his rehab. I haven’t really gotten into what that was. I’m not going to. He’s, to say he’s ahead of schedule, I feel very good about where he is. Excited to see where that goes throughout the course of the summer, fall camp, and then we’ll see where he’s at.”

The exact nature of Jayson Jenkins’ injury still isn’t clear. Still, after costing him all of spring, Mike Norvell wasn’t ready to commit to him being healthy enough to start for the beginning of the regular season. At the same time, it’s definitely good that he’s ahead of schedule in his rehab.

Prior to transferring to Florida State, Jenkins played three seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers, taking a redshirt in his first season. That gives him two more years of eligibility remaining. There, he appeared in 20 games for the Volunteers, making nine total tackles, five tackles for a loss, and 2.0 sacks during that time.

Coming out of high school at Notre Dame in New Jersey, Jenkins was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2022. He was the 1,066th-ranked player overall and the 117th-ranked defensive lineman in the country during that recruiting cycle.

Florida State dealt with several issues in 2024 that led to the team’s struggles. The Seminoles finished ranked 87th nationally in scoring defense, giving up 28.0 points per game. They were also 86th in total defense, allowing 385.9 yards per game, and 107th in rushing defense, giving up 184.67 rushing yards per game. Looking to address some of those issues, Mike Norvell has heavily leaned on the Transfer Portal.

Florida State currently has the 34th-ranked transfer class in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That includes 31 recruits who have left the program and another 23 who have joined the Seminoles. Among those incoming, four are defensive linemen. So, it was clearly a position Norvell was looking to address.

The hope is still that Jayson Jenkins will be able to return to action before the start of the regular season. Florida State will kick off its season on August 30th, hosting the Alabama Crimson Tide.