Janoris Jenkins won't
have the opportunity to get in trouble again as a member of the
Gators.
Coach Will Muschamp announced Tuesday afternoon via Twitter that
Jenkins has been dismissed from the team in the wake of his second
marijuana-related arrest since January.
"After meeting with Janoris Jenkins today, we both felt it was in
his best interest to move ahead to the next stage of his career,"
Muschamp posted.
"We appreciate Janoris' contributions to the University of Florida
during his time here and wish him the best of luck," UF's coach
added.
Jenkins was arrested early Saturday morning after a Gainesville
Police Department officer spotted him in a car smoking a cigar in a
parking lot at 104 N. Main St.
After the officer spotted him, Jenkins left the car and the officer
found a burnt marijuana cigar in the car's center console.
Jenkins was cited for possession of fewer than 20 grams of
marijuana, a first-degree misdemeanor.
The Pahokee native was cited for the same offense on January 22,
and at the time, Muschamp said the incident would be handled
internally.
The two recent arrests weren't Jenkins' only run-ins with the law
during his time in Gainesville. In May 2009, Jenkins was involved
in a fight downtown and was Tasered by officers and charged with
resisting arrest and obstruction without violence.
Jenkins originally returned for his senior season after passing on
leaving school early to enter this week's NFL Draft, where many
expected him to be a first- or second-round selection. At the time
Jenkins announced he would return to Florida, it was regarded as
one of the biggest coups of Muschamp's young career as Florida's
coach.
Jenkins was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference cornerback who
started in 36 games during his Florida career.
He was a member of the Gators' 2008 BCS championship team and
became only the second freshman cornerback in school history to
start on opening day.
Last year, Jenkins recorded 44 tackles and three interceptions and
was also responsible for holding Georgia's A.J. Green, South
Carolina's Alshon Jeffrey and Alabama's Julio Jones to a combined
14 receptions for 114 total yards and one touchdown, despite
playing nearly the entire season with a torn labrum in his right
shoulder.
He underwent surgery in December and missed the Outback Bowl.
Jenkins' injury was part of the reason he decided to return for his
senior year, but his recent arrest has thwarted that plan.
During Muschamp's introductory press conference in December, he
spoke about the "Florida Way," and what he expected out of his
players off the field.
"There's a certain thing that I'm going to refer to as the Florida
Way, and that's the way they need to act and that's the way they
need to represent our university," Muschamp said. "I'm going to
demand that, and I think that you'll understand in time that that's
something that's very important to me.
"I want all of our student-athletes to come into our program to be
a better person for having been at Florida. And I'm not just
talking from a football standpoint. I'm talking about the
off-the-field things."
While it is too late for Jenkins to declare for the upcoming NFL
Draft, the shutdown cornerback will be eligible for this summer's
NFL Supplemental Draft.
With Jenkins no longer part of Florida's team, senior Moses
Jenkins, junior Jeremy Brown and sophomore Cody Riggs are expected
to compete for starting corner spots on UF's defense.
