PSU recruiting spotlight: Gilman's Darius Jennings a 'game-changer'
The versatile junior from Baltimore has been compared with Derrick Williams.
By FRANK BODANI
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 06/12/2010
He's the vice president of his junior class.
He does community work through his church.
He mentors elementary school kids.
But this might be the best clue as to how Darius Jennings is persuaded to do the right thing: You don't dare get into trouble when your mom is the school secretary.
Jennings also just happens to be one of the most versatile, game-changing high school football stars to come out of Maryland since Derrick Williams went to Penn State six years ago.
And, finally, the Baltimore kid has his long-awaited written scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions. It arrived in the mail a week ago.
"It was just a relief that it finally came through," Jennings said. "I wasn't really too sure where I stood with them. It was just good to know I did have an offer and can look into them some more."
He is rated as a four-star (out of five) prospect nationally. Tom Lemming of CBS College Sports rates him as the No. 2 player in Maryland.
"His speed is unbelievable," said Henry Russell, his assistant coach at the Gilman School. "That's really what we're almost shocked with at times. Even against the best competition in Maryland . . . where defenders have good pursuit angles on him, he just outruns the angles. We are just kind of like, 'Wow.'"
This is how Lemming describes him: "Darius is the most explosive player in Maryland. He's not real big (5-foot-11, 175 pounds), but you don't have to be real big as a slot back, a return guy.
"And he could play corner(back)."
Defense, it seemed at first, is where the Nittany Lions were looking at him most intently. But after losing a couple of receivers lately, Jennings said his Penn State offer is for either offense or defense, at his choosing.
Certainly, he has a strong resume away from the football field, too.
He owns a 3.2 grade-point average and scored 1,100 on his SATs. He's a track and field standout in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. And he's a slashing guard on the basketball court.
Football, though, is paving the way and he has scholarship opportunities from the likes of Oregon, UCLA, Nebraska, Mississippi, Ohio State and Boston College to go with the Lions.
