Oklahoma’s depth at defensive end got that much deeper Tuesday with a commitment from junior college transfer Laine Jenkins.
Jenkins, an edge rusher from Butler (Kansas) Community College, announced his verbal pledge to the Sooners via Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
Jenkins comes to OU after notching eight tackles (2.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks as a freshman last fall. Along with OU, Jenkins also held offers from Iowa State and Illinois. The defender from Willowbrook, Ill., made his commitment Tuesday only minutes after announcing his offer from the Sooners on Twitter.
At 6-foot-6, 255-pounds, Jenkins fits the profile of the long edge rushers OU has targeted under coach Brent Venables. His commitment to the Sooners marks the latest in a stream of newcomers to join OU’s defensive ends room this offseason at a position Venables and his staff had identified as a point of needed improvement.
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Between transfer portal additions Trace Ford (Oklahoma State), Rondell Bothroyd (Wake Forest) and Dasan McCullough (Indiana), a group of class of 2023 signees highlighted by Adepoju Adebawore and Derrick LeBlanc and now Jenkins, the Sooners will begin the 2023 season with at least eight new faces to operate with on the edge. OU’s 28.0 team sacks ranked T-64 in the nation in 2022.
