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Jelani Jenkins announces his decision to a packed gym and television cameras.
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By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

With Good Counsel’s entire student body in attendance and viewers from around the nation watching, Good Counsel senior linebacker Jelani Jenkins chose the University of Florida on Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

 “It’s a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders,” said Jenkins, who had offers from about every major college program in the nation but essentially chose between Florida and Penn State. “I think I made the right decision and I don’t think I could have done it any better.”

Jenkins waited until Wednesday to announce his decision, a choice that brought ESPN, other television networks and a swarm of other media into Good Counsel’s gym.

After making a speech thanking his family and supporters, Jenkins took a deep breath and, wrought with emotion, put on a white Florida hat with his name and number already inscribed on the back, committing himself to the NCAA football national champions.

He said he was a bit nervous to say the words.

“I knew right then it was it,” Jenkins said. “I knew after that my soul was to the Gators.”

Jenkins, who led Good Counsel to an undefeated regular season this past year and notched 101 tackles, said he didn’t even talk about recruiting when he went on an official visit to Florida last month, though he came away feeling he could have a chance to play early.

Considering he has never won a football title in his career, he was swayed by the Gators’ victory in the national championship game. Every year at Good Counsel, Jenkins and the Falcons lost to DeMatha in the championship game.

Jenkins also chose Florida because of its top-notch sports medicine program, and the weather, as Jenkins said, isn’t bad either.

“We just felt comfortable, I felt comfortable and my parents felt comfortable with me going that far away,” Jenkins said. “It’s the perfect fit and I’m happy with it.”

Asked what words he has to the scads of Florida fans out there, Jenkins said, “Chomp, chomp.”

Four other Falcons signed their national letters of intent after declaring their intentions earlier. Mike Wallace signed with Penn State to play cornerback, Caleb Porzel will head to Maryland as a running back, Mark Hamilton heads to Villanova as a punter and Devin Gordon-Hamm will be an offensive lineman at Bucknell.