"I fell in love with the game of football at the age of five when my dad, Shawn, introduced it to me" junior defensive back Rashaad Jenkins said. "Playing football is something I wake up and enjoy doing every day. It will never change."

This passion for the game comes from Jenkins' late grandmother, Virginia Sands, who reminded Jenkins: do your best and put your best t forward in everything that you do. 

"I know that there are people, even friends, that wish that they could be in the position to play on the collegiate level, and I still have the opportunity to play," Jenkins said. "Friends I've played with and former coaches tell me how proud they are of me because they know how hard I've worked to get to this point. That motivates me to continue to work hard and prove that I belong here."

It will be different playing in a must-win game against childhood friends that now play for Southern University. Although there are friends on the opposing side, "we still have to line up across from each other and play every down like it's the last down."

The Baton Rouge native grew up a Southern fan and considered joining their program. However, Jenkins wanted something different and decided to join Jackson State's program. 

"Every kid grows up saying, 'I want to go to Southern.' I wanted to take a different route and see life outside of Louisiana." Jenkins said. "I wanted something different, so I broke away from everyone going to Southern, and Jackson State presented that opportunity of getting away from home." 

"We have more motivation to play now," Jenkins shared. "We are still in the contingency for the SWAC Championship. We've put in so much hard work and doing all the little things right, and everything is starting to gel together. There's no way we shouldn't be able to obtain our goal."