Utah Transfer Guard David Jenkins Jr. Commits to Purdue Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue coach Matt Painter has found a long-awaited guard to add to the team's 2022-23 roster via the transfer portal.
After failing to nab Nijel Pack as well as Tyrese Hunter — two coveted transfers ahead of the upcoming season— the Boilermakers earned a commitment from Utah transfer David Jenkins Jr. on Wednesday.
Jenkins, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound guard who spent just one season with the Utes, started his college career at South Dakota State before transferring to UNLV after two years. Purdue will be his fourth stop in six seasons.
During the 2021-22 season, Jenkins appeared in 31 games but made just 10 starts for Utah. He averaged 8.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. For his career, he's scored 14.9 points per contest while also shooting 41.3% from the 3-point line.
The Tacoma, Washington native averaged 16.1 points per game as a freshman at South Dakota State and then registered 19.7 points per contest in his second season with the program. Following his transfer to UNLV, he recorded 14.8 points per game during his only season on the floor with the team before transferring to Utah.
As of now, Purdue had just one other true point guard on the roster ahead of the 2022-23 season in freshman Braden Smith. With the addition of Jenkins, the Boilermakers now have an experienced guard that has displayed the ability to score during his career.
Jenkins joins the team as a grad transfer with one season of college basketball eligibility left.
You Can Follow D.J. Fezler on Twitter at @DJFezler
D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.