Purdue football's next defensive star stayed loyal to make a big move

INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue football’s Kydran Jenkins often ends up at the last place you’d expect, in the best possible ways.

Bo Heard saw it during Jenkins’ freshman year at Jefferson County High School in Louisville, Ga. "Unbelievably freakish,” he called those moments. Like the time Jenkins lined up on the right goal post and leaped full extension to save a shot headed for the upper left corner, palming the ball one-handed and tucking it away like a wide receiver.

Oh yeah, Heard coached soccer, too. Jenkins said most Boilermakers are unaware of his past life as an all-state goalkeeper. He gives them other reasons to believe nothing will get past him.

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Jenkins defied the usual path of players from his hometown when he ended up at Purdue. He defied other trends by sticking around after breaking through as one of the Big Ten’s best pass rushers last season.

Jenkins did, however, move to a new home — one he plans to make permanent. The undersized edge rusher became an inside linebacker over the past nine months. That projects as his best positional fit in the NFL. It also makes him a central figure in the turnaround the defense seeks in its second season in coach Ryan Walters’ system.

“He has a different set of versatility, being able to still look at the quarterback and now play sideline to sideline from the cylinder,” Walters said. “Guys feed off of his athleticism and the energy he brings, and so I'm excited to see what that looks like this fall.”

He saw it on opening day. When Indiana State quarterback Elijah Owens escaped a closing pocket in the second quarter, he created a 1-on-1 race with Jenkins to the edge on the far side of the field. Jenkins won, recording his first sack of the season with the range and open-field tackling skills of a Mike linebacker.

Jenkins keeps transforming, and keeps winning.

Small town star

Jefferson County football needed help. The previous graduating class depleted the return options on special teams. While the coaches stabilized the kickoff team, they struggled to find someone to reliably field punts.

So they sent Jenkins — standing about 6-0, 230 pounds at the time — back to field punts during practice. He looked like a natural. A week later, he took a punt back 50 yards for a touchdown.

Jefferson County found a new primary kickoff and punt returner. Opponents encountered a brick wall rumbling downhill with velocity.

“I got that a lot: ‘For you to be that big, I don’t know how you could be that fast,’” Jenkins said. “I’ve been running my whole life.”

Jenkins also ran as the featured back in Jefferson County’s single wing offense as a senior. His defensive potential, though, enticed college coaches. Purdue defensive line coach Brick Haley remembers an explosive talent — nimble on his feet and quick to diagnose plays.

Haley extended Jenkins’ first scholarship offer — when he served as an assistant at Missouri. Jenkins reminded him of former Tigers star Nick Bolton, now starting for and winning championships with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“His instincts were off the chart,” Haley said.

The Tigers made a familiar recruiting pitch to a southern prospect. Come play for an SEC program and you’ll play a lot of games in or near your home state. Haley believed a commitment might be imminent.

In the meantime, former Purdue assistant Greg Brown caught on to Jenkins, too. The university’s more rural environment and smaller scale can work against it when battling the SEC for recruits. Here, it became a decisive factor in the Boilermakers ' favor.

Jenkins carries himself with a small-town persona straight out of Louisville — pronounced LEWIS-ville — a town of about 2,300 in central Georgia. He wanted to move far from home, but did not seek glitz and glamour.

“Not a lot goes on there, and once you’re down there, you can easily get stuck down there,” Jenkins said. “My mom, she fought so hard every day to put us in a good spot. Going somewhere far would really help me and get me away from this.”

His official visit to West Lafayette became the only one he took anywhere. He confronted some culture shock — and some climate shock — but quickly embraced a new family.

Staying loyal

Haley said Mizzou saw Jenkins as a “true inside linebacker.” Purdue quickly saw a difference-maker off the edge.

He matched George Karlaftis for the team lead in sacks with five as a redshirt freshman. He earned honorable mention all-conference honors with four sacks and seven hurries in 2022, helping Purdue’s push to the Big Ten championship game.

Then came the breakthrough. While Nic Scourton challenged for the Big Ten sack lead, Jenkins complemented him from the other edge with 7.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.

Proven pass rushers draw a premium on today’s name, image and likeness open market. Texas A&M lured Scourton to finish his career as an Aggie. Jenkins could have made the jump, too. Cyrus King, one of Jenkins’ assistant coaches at Jefferson County, said four ACC schools contacted him to see if the burgeoning prospect might be interested in returning to the South.

Asked what level of concern Purdue had that someone might poach Jenkins, Haley said. "A lot." Jenkins, though, said he never seriously considered transferring.

A more serious discussion involved whether he should leave for the NFL draft. The feedback he received gave him a Day 3 grade — which could mean anywhere from the fourth to the seventh round.

One factor in that lower evaluation: Jenkins’ lower center of gravity. Coming off the edge in the NFL would mean the 6-1 Jenkins facing off against offensive tackles routinely standing 6-6 or taller. Of the 10 edge rushers selected in the first three rounds of last season’s draft, only one — Utah’s 6-2 Jonah Elliss — stood below 6-3.

As Jenkins continued his investment in Jenkins, Purdue demonstrated its investment in his future. The coaches wanted him to stay, and even better, they wanted him to move.

“It goes back to just being that loyal kid, upstanding kid,” King said. “Many of the kids would have probably tried to look for greener pastures elsewhere. KJ stayed loyal to Purdue; stayed loyal to the vision coach Walters had.

“The transition to inside backer was icing on the cake.”

A new home

Heard’s memories of Jenkins on the footall and soccer field remain vivid. So too are his memories of the Algebra student who used to pull his chair up to Heard’s desk in the back of the room.

The teacher used Jenkins’ “towering presence” to maintain order in the classroom. The student in turn peppered Heard with questions.

“KJ is just someone who loves to go in and learn,” Heard said.

Jenkins completed his degree in selling and sales last December. Then he went to work learning a new position.

Walters said he had no qualms about Jenkins absorbing the more cerebral aspects of Mike linebacker. He needed reassurance he could handle the wide-ranging physical responsibilities.

Purdue ranked 12 ^th in the Big Ten last season in third down defense, 11 ^th in red zone defense and last in allowing plays of 30-plus yards. It needed more security in the middle of the field, not less.

That confirmation came before the end of the spring.

“He makes the easy play, but he also makes the play that he shouldn't make,” rush ends coach Joe Dineen said. “We’ll go up and watch film after practice, and he'll be somewhere that you wouldn’t think he's gonna make the play. And then by the end of it, he's making a tackle for a 2-yard gain.

"He does things on film that are pretty fun to watch. He’s kind of like an eraser back there. I tell my guys, if we can do our job consistently, that guy's gonna run sideline to sideline and eliminate mistakes.”

Dineen did not dismiss the idea of Jenkins occasionally lining up off the edge. That may not be necessary, though, for him to maintain the pass rush presence which led him to 16.5 sacks over the past three years.

Walters’ attacking defense brings pressure from every angle, which will include Jenkins firing right up the middle. That often will force opposing running backs to pick him up in the backfield.

Purdue loves that matchup. Fellow linebacker Winston Berglund said it plainly: “Nobody can guard him as a running back if he’s blitzing up the middle.” Some gave it a try during preseason camp.

“He's a really shifty guy, but obviously very big and very athletic, so he can kind of do as he pleases, in a sense," running back Devin Mockobee said. “So you really have to get up there and hit him first before he can get to you.”

Speaking up

Jenkins changed physically to switch positions. He dropped about 10 pounds down to 250, and says he could play as light as 245.

He also changed his demeanor. Every coach from high school soccer to Purdue’s defensive line describes Jenkins as soft-spoken, willing to work hard and keep his head down. This defense needed a more vocal version of Jenkins.

Mike linebackers require on-field leadership skills — communicating calls and making adjustments in real time. A new NCAA rule allows Walters and defensive coordinator Kevin Kane to briefly talk to Jenkins via in-helmet communication devices prior to each play.

Jenkins’ voice, though, will carry the weight on the field.

“Guys follow him because they watch what he does and when he does what he does, it’s pretty special,” Haley said.

When looking for Jenkins on Saturdays, look where you'd least expect to find him. That's why he came to Purdue, and why he stuck around.

Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football's next defensive star stayed loyal to make a big move