Jenkins, a native of Virginia Beach and a student at First Colonial High School, is the top-ranked 145-pound wrestler in the country according to Amateur Wrestling News and Intermat. He won the NHSCA National Championship, dominating the tournament and winning the crown with a pin the second period of the finals.
A Virginia State high school champion, Jenkins was voted Outstanding Wrestler at the 2005 Beast of the East Championships after winning the title in what was considered the deepest weight class in the tournament. He was also voted the Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 2005 Powerade Championship. Jenkins also finished third at Cadet Nationals.
With Sunderland traveling on signing day to lead many of his current Nittany Lions into action at the U.S. Freestyle Open and Team Trials, assistant coach Matt Dernlan was excited to comment on Jenkins' impending arrival at Penn State. "I know I echo Coach Sunderland's thoughts when I say that this is a great day for the Penn State wrestling program," Dernlan said. "Bubba's addition to our wrestling family gives us yet another top-ranked wrestler in this outstanding class and this young man has the potential to be a difference maker for us. He is an outstanding individual and a phenomenal athlete with the work ethic to match. With continued hard work and training here at Penn State, we believe that his potential is limitless and we're looking forward to helping him reach the highest of goals."
Jenkins joins an already outstanding recruiting class that features Garrett Scott (Alexandria, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 140 by AWN in its final 2006 high school rankings; Josh Rohler (Akron, Ohio), ranked No. 7 at 152 by AWN; and Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), ranked No. 2 at 160 by AWN.
Penn State recently concluded an outstanding 2005-06 season with its ninth place finish with three All-Americans at nationals. Sunderland's Nittany Lions went 13-4 in dual matches, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten action. The Lions crowned one Big Ten Champion and placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships with eight national qualifiers.
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