Even after winning back-to-back Hunt Awards and being named the No. 1 player in the nation at his position by several recruiting services, there remained a few individuals who doubted that former Parkersburg High School standout Josh Jenkins would see action during his freshman season at West Virginia University.
Following his first 10 days of practice, however, it appears more and more likely that the 305-pound guard will break into the Mountaineers' two-deep rotation.
"I feel like I've been working hard enough,"
Jenkins said Tuesday. "There is a chance I might play this year, from the coaches' point of view."
One of those coaches is first-year head man Bill Stewart.
"I saw Josh Jenkins have a guy over there almost into the stadium blocking,"
Stewart said following Saturday's 70-minute scrimmage. "It was like a mad dog in a meat house. He was really going after it and it was fun to see that."
That has been an ongoing theme of Jenkins' practices since arriving in Morgantown. When he isn't banging heads with some of WVU's toughest defenders, he can be found talking to Stewart or offensive line coach Dave Johnson.
Jenkins understands that the Mountaineers return six players who started at varying times during the 2007 campaign, but that hasn't stopped him from practicing like he was going to start when the gold and blue takes to the artificial surface at Milan Puskar Stadium against Villanova at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30.
"I'm like any other freshman,"
Jenkins said. "If possible, I want to play this year. No kid wants to sit out the whole year, but if not, if the coaches don't think I'm ready, then that is their opinion. That's why they are the coaches."
Jenkins has been practicing mainly with the No. 2 offense through two-a-days and began working with the field goal and point after units as well following WVU's first official scrimmage of fall camp.
Still breaking into a unit that came into the beginning of camp rated as the No. 1 offensive line in the country may be an obstacle the three-time Class AAA all-stater cannot overcome.
"It's really nice to be around Ryan Stanchek and Mike Dent because they are so good. And, it's good when you can learn from the best."
Jenkins isn't the only first-year Mountaineer to draw the attention of the coaching staff.
Tight end/fullback Tyler Urban has been pushing sophomore Will Johnson for playing time while Robert Sands has been making his presence known in the secondary.
Others still in the mix prior to Saturday's scrimmage include Ricky Kovatch, Ryan Clarke, Mark Rodgers and D.J. Thomas. But, no decisions will be announced until after the weekend and some may not be known until the Mountaineers open the regular season.
"There is a chance I won't redshirt, but there is also a chance that I will redshirt,"
added Jenkins. "I'm not going to worry about it either way because I'm a freshman."
Local fans wanting to watch Jenkins in action can do so at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday when the gold and blue concludes fall camp with a live scrimmage. Fans can also see their favorite players from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday during Fan Day.
