Up to 300 pounds, DT Kris Jenkins talks goals for 2023, potential to leave Michigan undefeated against Ohio State
Michigan Wolverines football senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins has been nicknamed ‘The Mutant’ due to his strength and speed for his size. He’s always been a bit undersized for his position, though, and a theme of his career has been adding weight. He was listed as 265 pounds when he came to Michigan in 2020, and is now all the way up to 300 pounds, he revealed on the In The Trenches podcast with host Jon Jansen.
“I finally hit 300, and it was interesting, because I really started, this offseason I really wanted to make this commitment to [nutritionist] Abigail [O’Connor] and [strength and conditioning coach Ben] Herb[ert],” Jenkins explained. “I wanted to get to a true D-tackle size — not 285, but get to 305, 310. And the fact that working with Abigail, really getting a great eating schedule down, really taking the weight room, taking that extra step in the weight room. Coming in — and it may not look like it — but I’m more dense than I look, so coming in, getting on the scale, 300 pounds, I’m like, ‘Woo, I’m a fat boy now.’
“It’s difficult, but it’s a commitment that we’ve gotta make as student athletes, to really take everything seriously. That’s something that Abigail and Coach Herb preach all the time — it’s the little things that matter. Stuff like really taking your eating seriously, taking your sleep seriously, stuff that you wouldn’t really think matters too much, but it’s actually going to take you that next step forward, make you an even better player, better person.”
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The Michigan defensive lineman could’ve tested the NFL waters this offseason, but after receiving some positive feedback from the league, he decided to stay in the Maize and Blue for another season.
“Just really the program, the culture we have, and especially education,” Jenkins said of why he returned. “At the end of the day, my mom and my dad would kill me if I left here without getting my degree. My dad already had to come back, finish college after he finished playing, so he was like, ‘You better not make the same mistake as me.’
“But also the culture, really just having that culture, knowing that I’m going to be taken care of when I come back — by the guys, by my teammates, by my coaches, by the Michigan nation altogether. Just really feeling that love, I knew coming back was the best decision for me.”
Kris Jenkins ‘obsessing over’ pass rush
Jenkins was an extremely productive player for Michigan last season, ranking fifth on the team with 54 tackles, 3.5 of which came behind the line of scrimmage, including 2 sacks. He had 20 pressures, which was tied for fifth on the Wolverines’ defense. However, Jenkins wants to become more of a force with his pass rush.
“Honestly, my biggest thing that I’ve kind of been obsessing over, over this offseason and really toward the end of the season, is my pass rush,” Jenkins said. “Coming off of last season, I’ve been identified as — and us as a team, our identity was a huge run-stopping force, really affecting the run, having that identity where teams can’t run on us, but not really having that identity where people fear my pass rush. People didn’t really look at me as a pass-rush threat. People weren’t really scared where I lined up, how I was going to affect the QB.
“I’m working with [Michigan defensive line] Coach [Mike] Elston, even getting the knowledge from my uncle [former NFL defensive end Cullen Jenkins] and my dad [former NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Kris], taking that more seriously. I just really want to get after the quarterback, really affect the pass game.
“With the whole D-line, talking to [sophomore] Mason [Graham], talking to K.G [sophomore Kenneth Grant]., Rayshaun Benny, even Cam Goode, everybody’s obsessing over us being the leading sack defense in the country.”
Jenkins is excited about the depth the Michigan defensive line has, too. The Wolverines went with a heavy rotation last season, trying to keep fresh legs on the field, and have just as many options this year.
“It’s really important. It’s a crucial part of our identity, what we stand for,” the Michigan standout said. “We expect our second team, our third string to be just as good or better than our first team, because you never know when you’re going to get in, what opportunities are going to come up. Somebody’s going to go, somebody’s going to get hurt.
“You’re expected to go in, do what you need to do, wreak havoc. Really, across the board, knowing we have depth, we have a lot of good players, players ready to eat, players ready to be animals, just knowing that when it’s your time to ball, it’s your time to ball.”
He said it’s “feels weird” but is “awesome” that he’s now a senior, and he’s excited to help the young guys come along like former Michigan linemen Mazi Smith and Aidan Hutchinson did for him.
Kris Jenkins’ class has never lost to Ohio State
Jenkins and his 2020 recruiting class have the chance to accomplish a rare feat, finish their careers undefeated against Ohio State. Michigan did not play the Buckeyes in 2020 due to an illness cancelling the game, before beating them by a combined 38 points over the last two seasons.
“That would mean everything,” Jenkins said of that possibility. “That would mean the world to me, honestly. Since I was committed, since I was a kid, kinda really fascinating over the fact that, being the team, being the people to change the culture, to really affect the culture that Michigan’s back on top, trying to set that standard, really, that would mean the world to me.
“And that means the world to everybody here. We have that mantra, ‘What are you doing today to beat Ohio State?’ And that’s something that not only we stand by, that’s something we live by — that’s something we eat, sleep, breathe by in everything we do, all the little things. That means nothing but the world to me, and as a team, we’re going to do everything we can to keep that happening, to live up to that standard to beat them this year.”
The Maize and Blue are once again defending a Big Ten title heading into the 2023 season. Jansen noted that “the bullseye only gets bigger” for Michigan, but now it knows how to handle it.
“Mainly the fact that every team is going to give us their best shot, no matter who they are, no matter what they think about us,” Jenkins said on what he learned from defending a title last season. “They’re going to give us their best shot. We can’t sleep on nobody, can’t overlook anybody. We gotta take each game seriously, take it one game at a time, one week at a time, one day at a time. Just staying true to that and giving each team that comes to play us the respect they deserve, because if you don’t give them that, they’re going to come take it.”
