The Tulane Green Wave college football star who made the play that changed program history is getting his shot in the NFL.
Former Tulane defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins received a rookie camp invite from the New Orleans Saints.
Jenkins will make the jump to the professional level at a familiar place that Tulane football utilized in his three seasons with the team as an indoor facility in inclement weather.
He joins a group of Green Wave rookies that signed with various teams as undrafted free agents after a legendary career uptown.
Jenkins made the game-altering safety in the team’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl victory over the USC Trojans, which marked the greatest single-season turnaround in college football history.
Jenkins recorded 107 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and two pass breakups in three years. He finished the 2024 campaign with 33 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and his two career deflections.
He’s someone head coach Jon Sumrall called a “quality young man” when speaking with WGNO Sports ahead of the NFL draft.
“When the transition happened back in December, coaching staff-wise, he could’ve very easily decided to leave,” says Sumrall. “He chose to stay, and I think Mom was a big component of that.”
“She was my number one fan”: Tulane’s Patrick Jenkins dedicates football career to late mother https://t.co/fcquKr4WZd pic.twitter.com/5prfN4E59z
— WGNO-TV (ABC) New Orleans (@WGNOtv) April 22, 2025
Jenkins had the unfathomable happen midway through the 2024 season when his mom died unexpectedly.
He missed one game, and following the victory, the team all FaceTimed Jenkins in the locker room to share a special moment.
“My whole life, she was my number one fan,” Jenkins told WGNO. “Even when I didn’t believe in myself or I’ve been down or having a bad game, she was there to pick me up. She would always say, you got this or you’re going to be good. So, her not being here anymore, it’s just hard not hearing those words from my number one supporter.”
Jenkins dedicated the rest of the season to his late mother.
He was one of the cornerstone leaders that helped Sumrall’s new coaching staff transition with veterans that would guide the team on and off the field. He represented the Green Wave at the American Conference media day ahead of the season.
With the rules that allow teams to watch prospects within a 50-mile radius and have that not count towards their allotted 30-visit limit, giving New Orleans an opportunity to watch Jenkins closer than other priority undrafted free agents.
The local graduate of John Ehret High School will get to stay in his hometown with his shot at making the roster with the Saints.
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