Around the Horn: March 1, 2022 national high school football updates
Dreher Blue Devils hire new football coach, Wardlaw University Freshman All-American Landen Thomas earns No. 23 offer from Alabama, and top New Mexico prospect earns offer from UTEP
Dreher Blue Devils hire alum as new head football coach, former Gamecocks quarterback Corey Jenkins
🌙🌴 On Friday, February 25th, the Dreher Blue Devils announced the hiring of head coach Corey Jenkins, who is looking to send a spark of life into the long-suffering downtown Columbia-based program.
The Gamecocks alumna will welcome his new challenge at Dreher, who hasn’t advanced past the first round of the state playoffs since 1994 when he played quarterback for the Blue Devils.
The middling program will shift from AAAA (4A) to AAA (3A) in 2022-23, providing a better opportunity for the team to build back better in the first season of his new campaign.
After graduating from Dreher, the three-sport high school star spent four years as a minor league baseball player in the Boston Red Sox system (1995-1999).
He then rekindled the fires of his football career, spending two seasons in junior college at Garden City Community College (KS), where he was a two-time All-🇺🇸. Jenkins was then recruited by head coach Lou Holtz, competing for the South Carolina Gamecocks as a QB, (2001-2002).
Jenkins was then drafted to the Miami Dolphins (2003-2004) where he played LB under position coach Will Muschamp, then earned contracts with the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, and Green Bay Packers and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL (2004-2007).
Following a “hell of a ride” in athletics, the talented Blue Devil served as an assistant coach at South Carolina, South Carolina State, and Cardinal Newman.
Now, he will head his own operation at his high school alma mater.
Congratulations to Coach Corey Jenkins on the role.
Without a doubt, he is the best man for the job, and Jenkins will do everything in his power to turn around the program for the better.
Best of luck in 2022, coach. 🌙🌴
7A Colquitt County (Georgia) standout Class of 2024 tight end earns No. 23 offer from University of Alabama
🍑🍑 When Alabama offers, you know things have escelated to the next level. 6-foot-4, 210-pound Class of 2024 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ TE Landen Thomas has been a regular part of our @WardlawUniversity national college football recruiting coverage since Feb. 2021.
The 💫 who lines up for @PeachStateProspects AAAAAAA (7A) South Georgia powerhouse Colquitt County on “Peach State Friday Nights in the Fall” in the three-point stance and slot that created havoc for defenders at @229Elite 7-on-7 in Spring 2021 has earned his No. 23 offer from head coach Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.
This follows offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Virginia. Congratulations to the @WardlawUniversity Freshman All-American and standout rising sophomore on the outstanding achievement. 🍑🍑
Top Cactus State Class of 2024 defender (New Mexico) garners No. 2 offer from University of Texas El-Paso
🏜🌵After speaking with University of Texas El-Paso head coach Dana Dimel, 6-foot-3, 220-pound Class of 2024 linebacker Strat Shufelt of Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico has officially announced that he has earned his No. 2 offer from the Miners.
📍The Max Preps All-🇺🇸 recorded 113 tackles, 72 solo tackles, 13 sacks, 1 strip-sack, 21 tackles for loss, 31 quarterback pressures, and two blocked punts, providing a major push to a perfect 13-0 season and state championship finish for the Storm during Strat’s extremely successful sophomore campaign that landed him on the high school football national map. 📍
The Miners were the No. 2 school to offer Shufelt, following the University of New Mexico Lobos. Shufelt is also drawing interest from head coach Chip Kelly’s UCLA Bruins (Pac-12 Conference).🌵🏜