Mike Elston Shares One Michigan Football Leader Has Been Dealing With An Injury

If you were wondering why this Michigan football player's production was down, Mike Elston shared why on Tuesday.

Kris Jenkins was an All-Big Ten selection in 2022 and could've opted to enter the NFL draft last spring, but instead, Jenkins came back to Michigan for the 2023 season -- along with many of his teammates. 

Jenkins had some All-American projections before the season began, and had a solid start to the season compiling a sack in the first three games while recording 14 tackles during the first five games. But Jenkins' production has taken a little hit as of late and guys like Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham, and Rayshaun Benny have been more talked about when watching the game on TV. 

Come to find out from defensive line coach Mike Elston on Wednesday, Jenkins has been battling a nagging injury. Since Week 6 against Minnesota, Jenkins has had a high ankle sprain he's been dealing with, but he's been fighting through it. 

"What you don't realize about Kris is, I can't remember which game it was, maybe the Minnesota game when Mason [Graham] came back, he suffered a high ankle sprain," said Elston. "He's been really dealing with that. He hasn't been moving as well, he's been fighting through it."

Kris Jenkins / Christopher Breiler

The senior leader has played in all 10 games for Michigan. He's No. 10 on the team with 22 tackles and No. 4 on the squad with 1.5 sacks. 

Jenkins, who is projected to go within the first two rounds on draft day, hasn't missed a single practice due to his ankle sprain, according to Elston. We've seen players miss a significant amount of time due to high ankle sprains, but not Jenkins.

"He's a warrior," stated Elston. "Hasn't missed a day, hasn't missed a practice, hasn't missed anything. He's battled through that. His production is down a little bit but he's an incredible leader and he goes out there and he executes. I think that his best games are out in front of him right now. As we were grading the film yesterday from practice, I typed in one of the practice notes, 'He's back.' He had such a great play. You'll see a healthier Kris moving forward and I believe the production will be there as it has been in the past."

Look for a more healthy Jenkins and the Wolverines go for win 1,000 on Saturday against Maryland.