One of the top defensive players in the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area is headed to the University of South Florida.

On Wednesday during the early signing period, Union County (Lake Butler) cornerback Gavin Jenkins (6’3, 173) signed to play college football at USF.

“It’s a big opportunity for me,” said Jenkins, who received an offer from the Bulls in January. “Coach DeMarcus (Van Dyke), my DB coach, we were talking about it, and I have a great opportunity to come in and get a lot of playing time. Coach (Alex) Golesh, the head coach, is a good coach. He’s building some great things there.”

Jenkins is the No. 69 overall player in Florida and the No. 52 cornerback in the country according to 247Sports.

“He’s got so many different attributes that make him a great athlete,” said Union County football coach Andrew Thomas. “His length is something that kind of separates him, especially at the position that he is getting recruited being a corner. He’s one of those kids that is really kind of a steal. You’ve got a long kid that’s 6’2-plus with the length that he’s got.”

Thomas said it’s “kind of a defensive coordinator’s dream to have a corner that long.”

“He moves well, fluid hips, and he’s just got really good ball instincts,” he said. “As he matures as an athlete, getting to the next level and getting a little bit bigger and stronger, he’s got a lot of potential to be a really dynamic player.”

Although he is being recruited for his defense, Jenkins made a big impact on the offensive side of the ball for the Tigers (10-2), who lost to Madison County in last week’s Rural state semifinals.

As a senior, he had 31 receptions for 577 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games. He only recorded 29 tackles, with one interception and two fumble recoveries, but there was a big reason why his defensive stats were down.

“When you look at his stats on defense, he doesn’t have a whole lot because he didn’t get challenged,” Thomas said. “Nobody threw the ball at him.”

Thomas said his leadership was huge for the Tigers this past season.

“He really grew up the past year as a young man, just his maturity level has really grown,” he said. “I’m excited to see where he’s going to go because just seeing how he’s developed as a man in the last four years. I’ve just been proud as a coach more than anything seeing that from him.”

Jenkins was an All Area honorable mention as a receiver and a defensive back as a junior after catching 27 balls for 490 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 18 yards a catch. He also had four interceptions a year ago.

One of his best games came last year as a junior in the first round of the state playoffs against Hilliard when he had two pick-sixes in a 58-8 win against the Flashes.

He helped lead the Tigers to a regional final appearance and a final four spot the last two years.

Union County was a point away (30-29 loss at Chiefland in the regular season finale) from an unbeaten regular season and finished one game shy of a state championship game appearance in 2024.

“We had a great year,” Thomas said. “Offseason looking at our personnel and guys we had to replace and a lot of young kids…I wouldn’t have thought that we would have done that. We really achieved a lot with this group…that’s a testament to the kids buying in, the senior leadership that we had, and young kids stepping into major roles.”

Pitcher/shortstop Devin Diggs joined Jenkins in signing with a D-I program as he chose the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

“I like the coaching staff,” said Diggs, who is expected to play both positions at UNF. “They welcomed me as a family right off the jump. I love it there. It’s not far from home. It’s only about an hour away from the house.”

Diggs finished with a .914 fielding percentage last year as a junior for the Tigers, who finished one game shy of a final four appearance. He was 1-2 on the mound with a 2.47 earned run average with 48 strikeouts in only 28.1 innings pitched.

“Devin’s a two-way guy,” said Union County baseball coach Jiwan James. “He’s been our starting shortstop for three years now. His work ethic is what got him here and probably over the last two years is when I’ve seen him kind of make up his mind that he really wanted to do this. UNF is getting a real good athlete.”

One of his best games came last year as a junior against West Nassau (Callahan). The Tigers were trailing early, but Diggs hit the game-tying home run and Union County rallied for an 8-7 win.

Diggs (6’, 155), who led the Tigers with three home runs last year, said he has improved since his junior season and is excited for his upcoming senior year.

“I’ve gained weight, gained velocity on my pitching, it should be a good season,” said Diggs, who said he needs to gain more weight before he gets to UNF.

James said his athleticism and “God-gifted arm” give him the ability to play at the D-I level.

“I talk all the time about guys that throw hard,” James said. “I’m not a believer in velocity training. I’m one that if God wants you to throw 100 you’re going to throw 100, but his arm is probably the biggest thing that got him out there and that’s going to take him a long way.”