Gulf Coast 2.0: John Jenkins

In this piece by Gentry Estes, future Dawg DT John Jenkins is compared to former Gulf Coast Community College transfer Terrance Cody.

And we all know how that turned out.

Those are strong words, considering the addition of “Mount Cody” was one of the key pieces that led the Crimson Tide to a 12-0 regular season in 2008 and an SEC and BCS championship the following year.

But they makes sense. A generally accepted rule of 3-4 defenses is that it is essential to be strong up the middle. At nose tackle, you want a special player, one formidable enough to hold the point and withstand double and triple teams, thus freeing up teammates to make plays. That player doesn’t have to be massive in size, but it definitely helps, so long as he remains mobile enough.

Cody played near 350-360 pounds while at Alabama. Jenkins is projected to be around 340 pounds or more during his upcoming career at Georgia.

“John is quicker, a little more mobile than Terrence,” Campbell said. “Terrence may be just a tad – just a tad – stronger. I’d say what Terrence had in weight, John makes up for with his added mobility.”

And really, size is just the beginning of the similarities in the two situations.  

For the past three seasons, Alabama has finished among the top five in the country in total defense. But it wasn’t always that way.

While Georgia allowed 147.23 rushing yards per game last season. Alabama was at 141.15 in 2007, Saban’s first season back in college. With that new 3-4 defense, Alabama was forced to use Lorenzo Washington (an Atlanta-area native) after converted offensive lineman Brian Motley broke his ankle in practice.

Washington, at less than 300 pounds, was probably better suited to play end, but he gritted it out at nose while his overall defense struggled, especially late in games and late in the season.

Sound familiar?

Insert the name DeAngelo Tyson for Washington and Justin Anderson for Motley and you could basically say the same for Georgia in 2010.

It sounds as if Jenkins could have an even bigger impact in Athens than Cody did his first year in Tuscaloosa. More importantly, that's just what Geathers and Thorton need to hear just as the dogwoods and azaleas are starting to bloom.