Oregon landed it’s ninth commit of the 2014 recruiting class by adding 6’7 250 Lb. defensive end Jalen Jenks, according to 24/7 Sports. The three star commit hails from Phoenix, AZ and plays his high school ball at Desert Vista High School.
Jelks had offers from 13 different schools, including Washington, UCLA, Tennessee and Wisconsin, before committing to Oregon. Jelks’ is the second defensive lineman to commit to Oregon along with four star DE Tui Talia since Ron Aiken was hired as the D-line coach five months ago.
While Jelks’ size, position, and Arizona roots may initially remind fans of former Oregon star Dion Jordan, Jelks plays with more power than Jordan and may compare more favorably to former Oregon player Brandon Bair.
In an interview at the LA Nike Camp in March, Jelks said his greatest strength is his intelligence.
“Whatever you need me to be, I’m versatile and I can change any position you want me to. I played D nose, tackle, end, I played offensive tackle.” Jelks said. “I can play pretty much wherever you need me to.”
Jelks dominates in the trenches with his power and monster reach and should figure to only get bigger in his final year of high school. Born and raised in Ohio, Jelks grew up an Ohio State fan. Unfortunately for Jelks, Ohio State hasn’t offered and three months after receiving his offer from Oregon, he committed.
Jelks had 39 tackles, five for loss to combine with four jacks in his junior year at Desert Vista. Here are his junior year highlights:
Jelks also attended the Under Armour Rivals Camp in his hometown of Cincinnati in April and still sees improvement in his game after competing with players across the country at the camp.
“Overall, I felt faster than a lot of the kids there, and bigger than a lot of them, too,” Jelks said. “I think the best part of my game is my reach and my ability to get off (of blocks). I know that I can use improvement in every area of my game, though, always.”
