Adam Jennings

Jennings possesses excellent quickness and became a weapon the Bulldogs used in a variety of ways -- as a kick returner, wide receiver, on special teams and on reverses. He really came on strong toward the end of 2004 and established himself as one of the top performers on offense, but it is his kickoff return duties that had him ranked with the nation's elite. Jennings was a special teams terror, returning three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns as a senior at Granite Bay High School. He was selected to the Sacramento Bee's All-Star team and earned Sierra Foothill League offensive Most Valuable Player honors. He also rushed for 1,027 yards and ten touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 647 yards and seven scores. In track, Jennings won the section meet in the 200-meters. Jennings redshirted in 2001 at Fresno State, competing on the scout team as a cornerback, a position several pro teams are considering him at. He was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award in 2002. He played in fourteen games, starting six, as he made a career-high 34 catches for 589 yards (17.3 avg) and four touchdowns. He averaged 9.2 yards with a score on 33 punt returns and 19.6 yards on 14 kickoff returns. In 2003, Jennings played in fourteen games. He led the special teams coverage unit with 14 tackles (11 solos), a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He managed only eleven catches for 118 yards (10.7 avg) and rushed 18 times for 162 yards (9.0 avg) and a score. He also totaled 219 yards on ten kickoff returns and 54 yards with a touchdown on five punt returns. Jennings started twice as a junior, snaring 22 passes for 280 yards and five touchdowns. He carried 11 times for 103 yards (9.4 avg) and a score. Jennings managed only a 4.3-yard average on 35 punt returns and returned 26 kickoffs for a 25.3-yard average, ranking 19th in the nation. The 2005 season saw Jennings earn All-Western Athletic Conference honors as a kick returner. He started six times on offense, grabbing 22 passes for 278 yards (12.6 avg) and three touchdowns. He piled up 272 yards on 22 punt returns (12.4 avg) and 580 yards on 20 kickoff returns (29.0 avg), ranking seventh in the nation. He also recovered a fumble and registered two solo tackles. In 52 games at Fresno State, Jennings started 16 times. He closed out his career with 89 receptions for 1,265 yards (14.2 avg) and twelve touchdowns, adding 337 yards and three scores on 48 carries (7.0 avg). Jennings returned 70 kickoffs for 1,731 yards, ranking third on the school's career-record list with a 24.7-yard average. He added 781 yards and two scores on 95 punt returns (8.2 avg) and recorded 19 tackles (14 solos) with a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and a blocked punt. He touched the ball 302 times during his career, totaling 4,114 all-purpose yards, becoming the fifth player in school history to amass over 4,000 all-purpose yards.

quick out of his breaks and shows good awareness, doing a nice job of settling in the zone and coming back to the ball...has the body control to go after the underneath tosses and will fight for the ball in a crowd...shows good body adjustments and control going up for the high pass...explosive coming out of his cuts and has effective juke moves to make defenders miss...when he gets a seam, he is tough to chase down in the open field... big-play type on returns, as he not only has an explosive second gear, but a third gear as well.

Negatives

positives

Lacks size and bulk, but has a strong, lean frame with tight skin and good overall muscle definition...Has very good quickness and agility, with fluid change of direction skills, good balance and body control...Can accelerate from a dead stop and shows an explosive second gear on the move...Good hustler who plays until the whistle and will handle any task the coaches ask...Upbeat type who plays bigger than his size indicates (has a lot of moxie)...Smooth, natural runner who keeps his feet on the move...

jennings is a dangerous runner on reverses because of his quick feet and ability to make tacklers miss. however, he is not a tackle breaker. even with his quick feet and excellent playing speed, he needs to have a clear lane in order to gain valid yardage. he runs good routes with the ability to move and leverage the cornerbacks. he has the juke moves to elude and that second and third gear needed to separate coming out of his breaks.

While he fields the ball well on returns, he tends to let the pass absorb into his body rather than catch outside his frame. He has proven to be a capable tackler on special teams and has more strength than most diminutive receivers. He came into the program as a cornerback and after seeing his special teams hitting and coverage ability, Jennings might have quicker success in the pros as a nickel back rather than a receiver.

added ten pounds of bulk to his frame during the 2005 season, but the result was a decrease in his 40-yard dash time (from 4.37 seconds on campus on 5/11/05 to 4.56 on 3/13/06. he posted a 4.46 at the combine in february)...has good strength, but because of size issues, the bigger defensive backs have good success rerouting and jamming him...needs to be more active with his hands in order to gain separation during his line release...times his leaps well, but lacks the size to compete consistently for the jump balls...does not have the leg drive to break tackles...if a defender gets a piece of him, jennings will go down on initial contact...willing blocker, but lacks the sand in his pants to prevent the bigger defenders from running over him coming off the edge.

Jennings is a very effective kickoff returner who opposing coaches regard as the best special teams performer in the Western Athletic Conference. He is an adequate receiver with naturally soft hands who can reach out and pluck the ball, but lacks the size to win many jump ball situations. He does show the body control, concentration and hands to lay-out on high passes across the middle and makes the grab before taking hits, but because of his frame, if a defender gets a piece of him Jennings will be taken down by the initial tackle.

1997: Suffered a left ankle fracture during his freshman year in high school. 2005: Did not play vs. Idaho (10/22) due to a shoulder sprain suffered the previous week vs. Utah State.

Campus: 4.37 in the 40-yard dash (5/11/05)

4.56 in the 40-yard dash (3/13/06)

315-pound bench press

525-pound squat

330-pound power clean

308-pound hang clean

36-inch vertical jump

9'9" broad jump

Right-handed. Combine: 4.46 in the 40-yard dash

2.55 20-yard dash

1.56 10-yard dash

37.5-inch vertical jump

8'10" broad jump

4.12 20-yard shuttle

11.37 60-yard shuttle

6.88 three-cone drill

28 3/8-inch arm length

8 5/8-inch hands.

Attended Granite Bay (Cal.) High School, playing football for head coach Ernie Cooper

Was a special teams terror, returning three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns as a senior

Selected to the Sacramento Bee's All-Star team and earned Sierra Foothill League offensive Most Valuable Player honors

Rushed for 1,027 yards and ten touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 647 yards and seven scores

In track, Jennings won the section meet in the 200-meters.

Health Science major, earning Academic All-Western Athletic Conference honors in each of his last four seasons

Born 11/17/82

Resides in Granite Bay, California.