Florida State Football: Defense Will Be Top 5 with Return of Brandon Jenkins

The Florida State Seminoles received some great news on Thursday.

Star defensive end Brandon Jenkins has officially decided to return for his senior year and not enter the NFL Draft. He led the Seminoles with a team-high eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

For his career, he has racked up 21.5 sacks and 36.5 tackles that resulted in a negative play.  

The 6-3, 265 pound Tallahassee native is a natural pass rusher that has gotten bigger in all three season with the Seminoles. He is a terrific speed rusher that is lighting quick right off the snap.

With Jenkins set to return, the entire defensive line will be back in 2012. With stud recruits Mario Edwards Jr, Chris Casher and Dante Fowler coming to town, FSU is going to sport one of the most talented and deepest defensive lines in the entire nation.

The Seminoles ranked fourth in points allowed in 2011, surrendering a mere 15.1 per game. With the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation coming to town, this may be the top defense in the entire nation. The unit gave up 19 points or less in the team’s last eight games as it seemed to really mesh as a unit and get comfortable playing alongside each other.

With another year of college experience and living the lifestyle, Jenkins made the right decision. John Crist of Scout.com feels he isn’t quite a finished product just yet:

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Jenkins is not quite a finished product at this point, especially since he's currently playing defensive end in a 4-3 scheme when his future could very well be at outside linebacker in a 3-4 system.

While Jenkins does get a chance to play a little outside linebacker when defensive coordinator Mark Stoops employs some of his 3-4 looks, more experience never hurt anybody -- he can complete his degree, too.

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It sounds like it’s a win-win decision for everybody involved…except for fans of other teams in the ACC.