STARKVILLE — Elgton Jenkins’ career as an offensive lineman has seen him become a man without a position.
It started as a middle-school center; he’s since played every line position other than center in his first two seasons at Mississippi State, starting five times at left tackle, twice at left guard and once at both right guard and right tackle. He did it all effectively, taking on a position change last year and still rating as the Southeastern Conference’s second-most efficient pass blocker according to Pro Football Focus.
Now he’s back to center.
Jenkins is projected to be MSU’s starting center when the Bulldogs open the season against Charleston Southern Saturday at 3 p.m.; by all accounts, yet another transition has gone well.
“He is taking the ownership now and it is just technique things that are different here and there that he has to learn,” MSU offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator John Hevesy said. “He’s been out in space at tackle and is now in a more refined place like he was at guard. But now it is even more compact for him. But he’s done a decent job so far and just has to keep going.”
The reviews from his teammates have been higher.
“I think he’ll be good at it. I think he’ll be one of the best centers Hevesy’s had,” said Deion Calhoun, who’s slated to start to Jenkins’ right as the guard.
One offensive line expert has already seen positive things out of Jenkins from an interior line position. Cole Cubelic, a former Auburn offensive lineman and current SEC Network analyst, told The Dispatch in April that he thought Jenkins’ move form tackle to guard solidified things for last year’s line.
“I think he got more physical, he had to think less, didn’t have to worry about being in so much space on his own and could do more firing off the football and get more at the point of attack,” Cubelic said.
Such rave reviews come after an accelerated acclimation period of a preseason since Jenkins was out of spring practice while injured. Jenkins said rehabilitation was the primary objective during that time, thus little preparation for the fall was done, but he at least had a frame of reference to work with mentally.
Jenkins practiced at center last winter in the bowl preparation as MSU practiced for its St. Petersburg Bowl win over Miami (Ohio). The conversations about him making a full-time switch to the position came around then — a proposition Jenkins knew was coming.
“I was excited. It was just time to step up and do what the team needed me to do,” Jenkins said. “You obviously can’t turn it down.”
Thus began his offseason-long transformation process that began with the most obvious aspect of playing center: the snap. Jenkins said that was a focal point of his over the summer, but just as important is getting upright and in a position to block someone immediately after releasing the snap.
Now Jenkins is adding the abstract aspects of playing center: making calls and communicating assignment changes to the rest of the offensive line. Jenkins wouldn’t classify himself as a naturally talkative player during games, but he knows what can make him that way.
“It’s just knowing the offense and knowing what you have to do in the scheme,” he said.
MSU head coach Dan Mullen added he has more options behind Jenkins at center: Martinas Rankin played there in the spring and has joined Harrison Moon in some reps there throughout the preseason. Still, Mullen’s confidence in Jenkins has grown over time.
“He’s grown up, which is what you want to see out of those guys,” Mullen said. “He understands the toughness you need to be successful at that position.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter, @Brett_Hudson
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