Kris Jenkins, Former Michigan Defensive Lineman

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Auto Trader. That's right. It is the Infinity Sports Network. Zach Gelb here with you on the Zach Gelb show. I'm rocking my sunglasses for this segment because the last time we had Chris Jenkins on from the Michigan football team, I guess he had a little bit of an eye injury. So he wore these big sunglasses and I said, you know what?

I'll rock my shades with you. So I'm going to assume when he joins us coming up in a few moments that I'll either have some funky glasses on or maybe we'll have the same sunglasses. I hope that we've built that connection enough where now he knows when he gets set to do an interview on the Zach Gelb show on the brand new Infinity Sports Network that he knows, okay, you got to come on the show when you're Chris Jenkins and you got to have some special glasses. And it's pretty cool, by the way, with his father playing for the Carolina Panthers and also the New York Jets. And you saw the success that his father had. And then we were talking to Chris this past year throughout the entire Michigan football team. And we know they ended up winning a national championship. We got to know him a little bit then.

So it was pretty neat to see what he was able to accomplish. And now not only having a father that played in the NFL, but also a uncle that played in the NFL too. Now you're going to have another Jenkins coming to the NFL. And that is Chris Jenkins, who we're going to see when his name is going to get called hopefully on Thursday night.

But if not on Thursday, then it will be on Friday. And ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, P&G and Meyer are teaming up to provide players with essentials from trusted P&G brands like Bounty to help them be ready for anything as they begin their pro careers. And now joining us is the national champion from the Michigan Wolverines, and he's getting set for the NFL Draft. I even see him. He's dancing right now as we introduce him. And that's my guy, Chris Jenkins, kind enough to join us right now in the Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. Chris, great to see you as always. Congratulations on all your success. And there we go.

He's got the shades on. How you doing, my man? Yes, sir.

I'm doing great. It's great to see you again, man. I appreciate you having me.

So let me also start you off with this. Football fans consume billions of wings every football season, and Bounty is the only paper towel that can tackle the mess. For fans tuning into this year's NFL Draft, remember, you can't have football without wings, and you can't have wings without Bounty. So I will be eating a ton of wings on Thursday when we hope to hear your name called.

But I have to ask you a very serious question right out of the gate. You go blue cheese or ranch when you're eating wings? Ranch. Oh, 100%.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, Chris. We have a friendship. We have a bond. No, we can still just ranch at the end of the day. Why do you like ranch? It is ranch. I love ranch, man. It's a people that are ranch lovers could agree with me. It's something about that. It's something about the ranch, man. I don't know about blue cheese. I met your mother at the national championship game. If I knew that she raised you and she raised you loving ranch, I would have said, what the heck did you do with Chris?

What's going on here? You got to be blue cheese. I mean, she did.

I mean, I still use blue cheese if I run out of ranch. Well, let's look back at the Michigan season. Clearly, it was awesome. It was unbelievable. You guys win the national championship.

Now, I know you're getting ready for the draft, but when you look back at that chapter of your life, just one of the memories that still come back to mind. Really, just all the work we put in. And Coach Harbaugh said it best. He said when the confetti was falling on that, on the biggest stage, on that championship stage, he said every piece of confetti represents a moment. All the hard work you've done and all the 220-pound med ball carries we did in the off-season, the 6 a.m. workouts, spring ball practices, camp practices, all that work we put in to get to that moment, and it paid off. There's no better feeling than that.

Yeah, it was absolutely awesome. And we know afterwards, right, you're getting ready for your NFL journey. Jim Harbaugh, there was all that speculation throughout the years that he was going to be leaving as well. He finally did so, leaving Michigan and taking the Chargers' job. When you saw that news, just how did you kind of process that?

Yes, sir. Well, to be honest with you, I wasn't too surprised because, let's be honest, I mean, he took care of business. He did his business. He brought the national championship trophy back to where it belongs. So for him moving on after, you know, doing everything he could to put Michigan back on the map, he absolutely deserves it, man. And I'm excited for him. And I'm excited for Coach Moore, who's not going to be leading the team. Yeah, what do you think Sharone Moore is going to bring to this team? I know we got to see him a little bit, taking over through some of the suspensions, but him as the new head coach of Michigan, what is that going to be for this next chapter of Wolverines football? Oh, he's going to bring that passion, man, the enthusiasm under the mankind that Coach Harbaugh talked about so many times. He has that passion, that love for the game. Like you said, that smash mentality that he talks about all the time, from the front line, the O-line, the D-line, like, oh, he's going to bring that physical smash mouth old school football. And I'm excited to see them go, especially this Saturday.

Talking to Chris Jenkins right now. Okay, how about the Chargers? I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of Michigan guys that get drafted by the Chargers with the Harbaugh connection.

Is that something you thought about what it would be like to play for Coach Harbaugh in the NFL? Yes, sir. And I'll be honest with you. Like at the end of the day, I would be honored. I'm gonna be excited wherever I go. I can't wait, but it would be sick to run it back again at the next level.

It would be sick. I can't lie to you. So let's pretend I'm a GM and I'm debating on if I'm going to select you or not. Why should I take Chris Jenkins with the first round pick? Because I'm a get whatever you need from me.

A hundred and ten percent. I'm gonna give it to you. And I'll be honest with you. I don't toot my own horn too much, but Coach Harbaugh gave me enthusiasm unknown to mankind for a reason. And I'm just happy to be a part of this moment, have these opportunities. If we doing conditioning, I'm be hyped up the role.

We're working in the weight room. I'm hyped up the role. Anything to be better to get to that Super Bowl stage to be an incredible breaking player, to be a gritty trench player, whatever you need me to do, wherever you need me to play at. I'm a do it, no questions asked.

And I'm a do it with a smile on my face. And you come from a football family. Everyone knows who your father is. Your uncle also had some success in the NFL as well. How beneficial have your dad and your uncle been through this process and really kind of just developing you to the football player that you are today? Oh, they've been amazing, especially with my mental because, you know, I already got the incredible genes from, you know, that athleticism from that strength from them. But at the end of the day is really that type of mentality that allows you to be a great player at the next level. And, you know, all the guys are talented at that stage, but they know what it really takes. The type of mentality that you got to have to not only play there, but be a great there to have a long standing career. So they've done nothing but challenge my mental, you know, competing and really just allowing me to be the type of man that I am today.

So I love them and thank them for that. By the way, what is your training been like recently? Because you always look good with the with the sunglasses on. I know you got a little bit of a haircut, but you're looking a little bit leaner these days. What is the training been like? I'm recognizing this. Yes, sir.

No, it's been a it's been a lot of body training, a lot of strength training, a lot of conditioning. Because, you know, when you when we started, it's going to be working training camps, rookie training camp that we got to go. We got to roll.

We got to move. So whatever I can to be that the best physical shape I could be, you know, right now I'm at 308 right now. I'm a little chunkier than usual. I mean, see the hoodies kind of hiding it a little bit. But, you know, I'm yeah, whatever I got to do to be at the peak physical like standpoint on day one.

I'm doing it right now. Let me talk about your old quarterback and JJ McCarthy. He keeps on rising up the draft boards for people that are maybe doubting JJ. And they're saying, oh, I don't really see what others are saying about JJ McCarthy. What do you say about your former quarterback?

And I'm gonna take off the shades for this one real quick because we get serious, serious. What you got to get out of JJ, a top five pick, really a top three pick. You got to get the best out of that man will really separates him from some of the great quarterbacks you see in college. And what's going to separate him in the league is his work ethic, man. You know, not only does he have the athleticism, the talent to escape, to be accurate, to throw the deep ball, but he has that character, that leadership that other players feed on and he's going to lead his team. He's going to do anything possible to get better every single day and to set his teammates in the best possible position. So he's really a guy that's fully about the team. One hundred and ten percent every single day. And he will do whatever you need him to do.

No questions asked. And like I know you've seen it in the first big 10 championship game we played. If he could block for somebody, if he could block for his man, you know, you know, you don't worry about getting a little dirty sometimes. So he would do what he got to do to help the team win.

And that's what we love about. So you feel like there is a next year because everyone knows you had to be selfless this year when you have another great offensive line. You have Blake Korm. You have Donovan Edwards.

It would have been stupid not to run run those guys behind the offensive line that you've had the last few years. There's no doubt in your mind that there's a different level from J.J. than what we've seen, which has already been pretty damn impressive. Oh, absolutely. And he's really going to continue to show that at the next level. He got a chip on his shoulder and he can't he can't wait to show the world, you know, really how well he could turn up.

You know, everybody that's down there. So I'm excited to see that coming to play. And he's going to do great things.

All right. Chris, I know you're doing some great work today with P.N.G. and Meyer. Tell me what we got cooking today with also Bounty as well.

Yes, sir. I'm partnering with P.G. and Meyer. You know, like you said, to be ready for anything. You know, so being in a new city, a new career, you know, on a new team, new teammates, you know, they're really getting me set up to be ready for anything in the best possible way. So shout out to P.N.G.

and Meyer for that. And also being with Bounty because like you said, we eating wings every single football Sunday on the drive day, especially we definitely eating them wings. So like you said best, can't have football without wings. You can't have wings without Bounty.

And they call it Bounty for a reason. What are you doing? Just wondering for the actual draft. How are you spending the draft? Oh, yeah, we're going to spend it with my family. We're going to spend it over in Belleville about like 20 minutes down the road from Detroit. And like I said, we're about to have a good old family barbecue. Everybody's going to pull up. I don't know if I'm wearing a suit because like I said, I'm gonna get a little messy.

That's what we got the bounty for. But you know, we're really about it is about to be good old trash talk. Love family environment, a bunch of food and we're about to have a great time. And I know that there's going to be so much emotion.

It's been the last thing that I ask it. And I saw kind of the family emotion that you guys shared when I was on the field when you guys won the national championship. And that was cool to see it kind of behind the scenes, but you wear your emotions on your sleeve.

You're always fun to talk to. What do you think you're going to be feeling? Whoever the phone call comes from when you find out on Thursday, Friday, whatever it is that, OK, this dream that you had is now reality and you're going to be an NFL player when you get that call. Oh, it's going to be nothing but that type of energy that I got now times 10. And the second I get my name called my number call, I'm gonna be nothing but hype, you know, on just on life for, you know, however long. You might you might see a couple of tears or two come down. But at the end of the day, those are tears of joy because there's a kid I dreamed of this moment. And we are a week away from this moment coming into fruition. So I can't I just can't wait, man.

A lot of sleepless nights. So I'm really excited for it. Well, congrats to you.

So happy for you and your family. Keep on kicking ass and we'll talk to you when you're an NFL player in a week. All right. Oh, yes, sir. Will do. Absolutely. Stay cool, man. I appreciate you. You got it.

Anytime. There he is. Chris Jenkins. I love whenever we talk to him. I get to wear my sunglasses as well. And no one has any clue where the heck that I'm looking at when I got these shades on. I think I'm going to rock these shades more often now because then I could give like, Santa, maybe a dirty look, and he has no clue that I'm thinking all these bad things about Santa. Whenever he annoys me on the radio show, Santa, I think I rock the shades.

I think I pulled the Chris Jenkins now moving forward, even though as much as I love Chris Jenkins and Chris Jenkins is like a 10 out of 10, dude. Awesome guy. Great personality.

Great football player. The ranch. The ranch. The ranch broke my heart. Broke my heart. I mean, I will say this.

I'm a ranch guy. So Chris Jenkins just went from like a 10 to an 11 and a half in my book. And like, listen, I'll also say this. There's some guys who can pull off the shades indoors.

Chris Jenkins can pull them off. You're iffy. You're iffy. Oh, that's not nice. That's not nice.

I mean, you don't look terrible, but like, I just don't know if, you know, if you're one of those guys who can rock them indoors. It's all right. It's OK. I listen to CJ. Whoopty with the blue cheese.

That's always my big song, and I love blue cheese as well. We'll take a time out. Zach Yelpsch on the Infinity Sports Network. Update time.

Here he is. Patty Boyle. Here's why April chose to vaccinate her child. I think actually meeting someone who was not vaccinated and now has a lifelong struggle with a childhood disease really cemented for me that it's super important that we as parents continue to vaccinate our children.

Talk to your pediatrician or visit YVaccines.com. Brought to you by Merck. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

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