The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503142
THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 81 BY JOHN BORTON A ll of Michigan's engines are on go for what promises to be a special season. There's one power plant that might run a little hotter than all the rest. Just ask Shay Hopper, mother of se- nior defensive lineman Kris Jenkins. She knows better than anyone the longevity with which he's maintained a pedal-to- the-metal attitude. "Kristopher had no less than three ac- tivities after school, every single day," she recalled. "Then on Saturday, this kid would have three activities and still spend the day at the amusement park. "I'd be like, 'Why are you not tired? I am exhausted!'" From Tae Kwon Do to a host of on-field sports to band, Jenkins ran nonstop. "Every single day," Hopper stressed. "On Saturdays, it would be some sort of clinic — soccer, baseball, football, hockey. He'd do two of those, participate in swimming, and then he'd go to the amusement park. "I'd be like, 'Are you tired?' and he'd say, 'Oh, no, no, no!' We'd go to this amuse- ment park and we'd ride every single ride, from the time you could see his little bit of hair over the bar." In fact, Jenkins became an unofficial ride tour guide at the Carowinds park in Char- lotte, N.C. "He made so many friends at this amusement park, because he would ride back-to-back," Hopper said. "He holds re- cords. He'd ride 23 times in a row, 32 times in a row. This kid … "They would put him with people who were afraid to ride. He'd be a single rider at 5 years old, and they would put him with people who were afraid. He'd sit with them and say, 'If you turn to your left … and if you turn to your right … [laughs] … and take a breath, because we're going to go down. Are you ready?'" Often, his mom could only see his mo- hawk rising from the ride compartment, a haircut he also used to dramatic effect at the lake. "He was so fast in the water, he looked like a shark, cutting through," she said. "It used to freak me out. He would go under and hold his breath forever. Then he'd come out of nowhere, behind me." The little dynamo lived near a small lake, which featured a diving board out in the middle. To qualify to swim out to the diving board, everyone needed to first pass a swim test along the shoreline. "It was crazy," Hopper recalled. "It's not even that far to get out to the diving board. No one had the energy to do that. You had to go down and back without stopping. It was like going from the 1-yard line to the 50 and back. "Each day we went, you had to take the test again. He was the only person, at 5, who could pass the swim test. They wound up having to open up the diving board for him when he was about 9, because they had closed it down. "Nobody went out there. I remember the last time it was open, they said, 'Yeah, we know you're going to go. We have it open for you.' He would be out there for four hours, getting out of the water, climbing back up — you talk about energy — and diving back in." She eventually joined him on occasion, after convincing officials to skip the swim test — for her. But when someone else was taking the test, Jenkins lent an encourag- ing voice. "If he would see someone trying to take the test, he would swim back," Hopper noted. "He'd talk them through it: 'It's OK … kick! Kick! You're almost halfway there! Kick! Kick! You're going to make it!' And these were adults!" The energy hasn't dissipated. "I want to bring everybody up with me," Jenkins said. "Bringing the energy, just be- ing a leader everybody can count on ev- ery single day. It's bringing that mentality into every single aspect, so that when I do speak, everybody is going to hear me in that room." The Best Is Yet To Come He'll likely be heard — and felt — in a big way on the field this fall. The honorable mention All-Big Ten performer in 2022 actually led Michigan's defensive linemen with 54 tackles last season, adding 3.5 tack- les for loss, a pair of sacks and 2 quarter- back hurries. "I want to bring everybody up with me. Bringing the energy, just being a leader everybody can count on every single day." JENKINS Jenkins led Michigan's defensive linemen with 54 tackles last season, adding 3.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and 2 quarterback hurries on the way to honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL