Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #28 DT Ryan Jenkins
The Bulls might have big plans for this second-year defensive lineman.
PLAYER: Ryan Jenkins
POSITION: Defensive tackle
YEAR: Sophomore
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'4", 265 lbs.
HOW DID HE GET HERE? Jenkins went to Westover High School in Albany, Georgia. He was rated as a mid three-star prospect and his offer list included power conference teams like Georgia Tech, Iowa State and Indiana, but he committed to USF in July 2023 and stayed locked in until he signed in December. He enrolled in August 2024.
HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON? Jenkins’ playing time slowly ticked up as the season went along. He saw some action late in the opener against Bethune-Cookman, then didn’t see the field again until the back half of the season began. But from the UAB game on through the Tulsa game, he earned decent snaps each week as well as his first TFL against FAU. By the end of the season, he even made an appearance on the depth chart as a backup at defensive end. He finished his freshman year having appeared in six games, making eight tackles and one TFL.
Per PFF, he played over 80% of his snaps on the exterior of the line, at either defensive end or B-backer.
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025? Jenkins had a promising true freshman season. The fact that the USF staff elected to burn his redshirt by playing him for more than four regular season games suggests that they see him as a player who can contribute sooner rather than later. I expect another uptick in playing time in 2025, though I suspect he’ll still be on the outer edges of the rotation for now since USF brought in quite a few experienced transfers on the defensive line.
An interesting open question regarding Jenkins: which position on the line does USF see him playing? In 2024, he was listed as a nebulous “defensive lineman” on USF’s roster and played exclusively as a defensive end. On the 2025 roster, he’s listed as a defensive tackle, so it’s entirely possible that USF sees him more as an interior player in the future. He’s already bulked up quite a bit, from 224 pounds in high school to 265 now.