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Anfernee Jennings

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Anfernee Jennings
refer to caption
Jennings in 2014
No. 33 – New England Patriots
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1997-05-01) May 1, 1997 (age 27)
Dadeville, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Dadeville
College:Alabama (2015–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 3 / pick: 87
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:112
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Anfernee Jennings (born May 1, 1997) is an American professional football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Patriots.

Early life

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Jennings grew up in Dadeville, Alabama, and attended Dadeville High School, where he played defensive end and tight end for the Tigers. He made 171 tackles with seven sacks in his junior season and was named honorable mention Super All-State by AL.com.[1][2] As a senior, Jennings was named first-team 4A All-State and the 4A Lineman of the Year after posting 170 tackles with 88 solo stops, 14 sacks, nine pass breakups and two forced fumbles.[3][4] Rated a four-star recruit, Jennings committed to play college football at Alabama over offers from Arkansas, Arizona State, Georgia, Mississippi State and Nebraska.[5]

College career

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Jennings redshirted his true freshman season as he moved from defensive end to the outside linebacker position. He played as a key reserve as a redshirt freshman, finishing the year with 19 tackles (two for loss) and three quarterback hurries.[6] Jennings became a starter during redshirt sophomore season and made 41 tackles, six for a loss, with one sack.[7] Jennings suffered what was initially diagnosed to be a PCL injury in the final minutes of the 2018 Sugar Bowl against Clemson, causing him to miss the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The injury was re-evaluated and Jennings was found to have also damaged an artery and developed a blood clot in his leg.[8]

Jennings returned from his injury in time to begin his redshirt junior season. He finished the year with 51 tackles, including 14 for loss, 6.5 sacks, with an interception, a team-high 11 passes defended and two fumble recoveries (one of which was returned for his first career touchdown).[9] Jennings entered his redshirt senior season on the Chuck Bednarik Award and Butkus Award watchlists and was named pre-season All-SEC and a second-team pre-season All-American by the Sporting News.[10] Jennings had 83 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, five pass breakups, one forced fumble and an interception and was named first-team All-SEC in his final season.[11] Jennings finished his collegiate career with 194 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and 20 passes defended in 54 games (38 starts).[12]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 2+1⁄8 in
(1.88 m) 		256 lb
(116 kg) 		32+7⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)
All values from NFL Combine[13]

In the 2020 NFL draft, Jennings was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round with the 87th overall pick.[14] He made his NFL debut in the season opener on September 13, 2020, against the Miami Dolphins, playing nine snaps on defense in a 21–11 win.[15] Jennings made his first career start on October 18, 2020, recording three tackles in a 18–12 loss to the Denver Broncos.[16]

On August 31, 2021, Jennings was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.[17]

Jennings entered the 2022 season as a backup linebacker. He played in 16 games with three starts, recording 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble.

On March 15, 2024, Jennings signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Patriots.[18]

Personal life

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Jennings's younger brother, Shawndarius "Shawn" Jennings, also plays college football and originally played at Alabama with Anfernee before transferring to South Alabama.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Sinor, Wesley (March 4, 2014). "Dadeville DE Anfernee Jennings hoping Auburn comes aboard after picking up Alabama offer (video)". AL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  2. ^ Bean, Josh (December 22, 2013). "Meet the 2013 AL.com Super All-State Football Team (photos)". AL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  3. ^ Hill, Jordan D. (October 13, 2019). "Local Legends: Dadeville's Anfernee Jennings leads Alabama defense in victory". Opelika-Auburn News. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Hewitt, Trevor (January 14, 2015). "Jennings named 4A Lineman of the year in Alabama". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.[dead link]
  5. ^ Kirkpatrick, Cliff (March 8, 2014). "Alabama football: Dadeville's Anfernee Jennings commits to Tide". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  6. ^ Arbogast, Lizi (August 12, 2017). "Anfernee Jennings hopes to be starting LB for Alabama". Alexander City Outlook. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Stuttles, Aaron (July 31, 2018). "Alabama counting on healthy Anfernee Jennings to elevate linebacking corps". The Athletic. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Zenitz, Mark (August 29, 2018). "How Alabama medical team and a fan saved a star player's leg". AL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Walsh, Christopher (August 28, 2019). "Sans Dylan Moses, Alabama will have to rely a lot more on players like Anfernee Jennings". SI.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  10. ^ Williams, Cliff (July 24, 2019). "Anfernee Jennings earns another watch list honor". Alexander City Outlook. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  11. ^ Potter, Charlie (January 25, 2020). "Anfernee Jennings wants 'to show what I've got' in Senior Bowl". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Fox, Zach (April 27, 2020). "Analyzing Patriots' 2020 Draft Class By The Numbers: What We Can Learn". NESN.com. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Anfernee Jennings Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  14. ^ Clements, Devon (April 25, 2020). "Patriots Select Alabama LB Anfernee Jennings in 3rd Round". Sports Illustrated New England Patriots News, Analysis and More. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Clements, Devon (September 16, 2020). "Analyzing Patriots' PFF Grades After Week 1". SI.com. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  16. ^ O'Malley, Nick (October 23, 2020). "Dont'a Hightower still mentoring Patriots rookie LB Anfernee Jennings even after opting out of season". MassLive. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  17. ^ "Patriots Make Roster Moves to Reach 53-Man Roster Limit; Acquire OL Yasir Durant in a Trade with Kansas City". Patriots.com. September 1, 2021.
  18. ^ "Patriots Announce Four Signings". Patriots.com. March 15, 2024.
  19. ^ Stephenson, Creg (June 21, 2017). "Alabama transfer Shawn Jennings lands at South Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
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