CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: WASHINGTON VS MICHIGAN

January 6, 2024

Kris Jenkins

NRG Stadium

Michigan Wolverines

Press Conference

Q. The video of you and your mom after the game, everybody was talking about, so take us through that moment when she came out and what was going through your head because some people say it was, like, you were a little embarrassed, close to emotional, so just kind of run us through it.

KRIS JENKINS: Yeah, for me, it was kind of a funny moment because I was talking -- when I was talking to the media, the last thing I thought was going to happen was my mom was going to be able to come on the field because they said nobody could come on field. So next thing you know I'm getting hugged and kissed. I was completely confused. I was, like, how did you get on the field?

But she was a enjoying every bit of the moment and you could tell how emotional the game made her, so just wanted to let her have her moment, enjoy her moment with me, and, yeah, I was embarrassed but that's how I be sometimes. I love my mom to death, but...

Q. You were pretty hyped up at various points as well talking about what this game meant, maybe what players were hearing from the buzz about what you guys could or couldn't do, or stuff surrounding this team. Why did you think it was important or why were you feeling amped up enough to share those things on the field?

KRIS JENKINS: No, absolutely, because the whole month leading up to the game we've heard everything about Alabama to the point where it felt like we didn't even deserve to be on the field with them, that we were going to be intimidated the second we stepped on the field with them. Nothing to take away from Alabama. They're a great team, they got a lot of great ball players, but just, like, from the fact that everybody else was already counting us out before we stepped on the field, you definitely feel that need to prove everybody wrong and remind everybody what your team's about.

Q. Given the way this whole season went with the Big Ten and the suspension and all that, how do you feel about the conference getting to claim your success now?

KRIS JENKINS: It feels satisfying and that's been our whole mission ever since the jump. Shoot, ever since coach was suspended, we wanted to show everybody regardless of what happens to this team and regardless of what adversity we face we're going to still follow our mission, we're going to still be 10 toes down together.

Q. Was it crazy feeling like your own conference was against you or trying to step in your way?

KRIS JENKINS: Honestly, it was kind of fun because it really felt like that Michigan versus everybody was taking place, and we really felt like we were standing by it because it was really how everything felt, it was really how everything was showing itself, so...

Q. Some of the things guys were saying you guys were cheating. Why do you think that people are saying that and do you think that's fair?

KRIS JENKINS: For the most part, they just don't want to accept what's happening right now, pretty much, like how the season's been turning out, for the most part. That's what we feel like. Time and time again we proved everybody wrong time and time again game after game after game after game. So, like we been saying, we don't know how many more excuses everybody got, but I guess we'll see.

Q. When people are citing evidence of the sign-stealing impact on you guys by saying, look, you guys are anticipating things, is there any believability to that or -- (no microphone)?

KRIS JENKINS: We're just doing our preparation, what we've always been doing, so when we hear everybody's like, cheating this, cheating that, we're like, okay. I don't know. Nothing else we can do besides just keep doing our job and keep winning, prove everybody wrong.

Q. As emotional as the Rose Bowl was, is there any concern of a letdown?

KRIS JENKINS: Absolutely. From start to finish during that game it was amazing. Everybody was straining to finish, everybody was competing at the highest level from start to finish, and you could really feel that and see that in that game. That's an instant classic, for sure.

But we're not worried about anything, like not having any juice left in the tank, because the way we've been taking our preparation for this week and the way we prepared for every game the whole season. We're really just taking it one day at a time, really enforcing that, getting the maximum mental focus that we can out of every day so we can come into that game flying around.

Q. Have you scaled back on practice, then?

KRIS JENKINS: Absolutely not. No, we're a physical team, we live by that, so we get as much physicality as we have every day. It's not a problem.

Q. An entirely different challenge, then, with Washington with the No. 1 passing offense and the guy who likes to get after the quarterback. Do you almost look forward to this more than what you faced at Alabama?

KRIS JENKINS: Honestly, you know, it's kind of interesting because you really look forward to both games in different ways because you know you're really going to experience the best competition but in different forms. It's really going to test how you react to different things. We've definitely seen a little bit of both from Alabama and we're definitely going to see a lot of great stuff from Washington too, so we're excited for that competition.

Q. The start of this year to the end, this was the run you thought you could go on. What has been the toughest part of this run?

KRIS JENKINS: The toughest part has been, honestly, just wading through the adversity, just staying true to each other, staying -- practicing what we've been preaching, and that's starting with Coach Herb in the winter strength and conditioning training, just being able to fight through adversity and being able to continue our process and continue our training. Throughout everything that we've faced this season, that's probably been the biggest thing.

Q. Was there a game or a moment that stands out?

KRIS JENKINS: No. Honestly, I think you could see from the first game of the season how all of that's been playing down. I wish we could say it was just one moment, but that's how it be.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: Honestly, when we hear that just the main thing we're focused on is trying to get back to that this year. I wouldn't say -- it's not surprising for us, but we just haven't taken advantage of the opportunity in the years before, but finally, we're in a position to be able to do so.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: It would mean the world to everybody here, everybody coming from a little kid watching college football dreaming of this opportunity to finally be put in this opportunity. You know, it's a childhood dream. We're just excited for every single moment.

Q. What's your favorite anime that you've watched so far?

KRIS JENKINS: That is a great question. I've been waiting for this question all day. Favorite anime I watch. Honestly, it's got to be Attack on Titan. RIP. The show just ended. One of the best shows ever.

But one of the newest shows that just came out, Jujutsu Kaisen, is definitely one of the best anime shows that's out now. So I would ask y'all to tune in and watch that show whenever y'all can. Yeah, thank you very much. (Laughing).

Q. Has your mom recovered after the last game? What was that like, that you could share that with her on the field?

KRIS JENKINS: Yeah, I think she finally was able to recover a little bit, but I think she's really excited for this one coming up too. It was a surreal moment for the both of us. I think it was even more funny the day after when she was turning on the news and watching her programs and she was seeing herself on the news and she was freaking out and texting me every five seconds. It was kind of a funny moment, but it was an amazing moment.

Q. You and Cam sat out there for awhile, taking it in and enjoying it. What was that like?

KRIS JENKINS: Like we said, yeah, the moment was surreal. I saw Cam. He was already sitting over there listening, so I wanted to check up on my boy, and he was just like, Just sit down with me, just take this moment in. We kind of just sat there and were like, wow, all this work to get into this point, and we were finally able to start reaping the rewards of it. The job's not finished, obviously, but we were finally able to really take that in. It was an amazing moment.

Q. You had some words to say about Alabama and the game and whatnot. Have you since watched that back and how do you feel about your message? Do you stand by it?

KRIS JENKINS: Absolutely I stand by it. Not taking anything away from Alabama because they're a great team and that was great competition, but everything we heard from the month leading up from outside sources about pretty much the fact that Big Ten ball can't ball with SEC ball or, like, we can't hang with the SEC or we're going to be intimidated the second we step on field, you know, the fact that we were able to prove ourselves, yeah, we were definitely fired up after that, not a problem.

Q. Given everything you guys have been through this season (no microphone)?

KRIS JENKINS: It just proves to people that the team -- we're the team we said we were from start to finish. Regardless of the adversity, regardless of everything we faced, we continued to be that same team we said we were going to be.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: That's a good point. I wouldn't be too much worried about it. I know my guys aren't worried about it at all. We do take it one day at a time, but you haven't really sensed that worry or any of that animosity coming from the team, so I don't think we're worried about it. I wouldn't be worried about it as a player, but, you know, not a problem.

Q. The rosters for both teams have a lot of experience. Is it any coincidence that both of these teams made it this far when the rosters look like they do?

KRIS JENKINS: No, absolutely not. You definitely got to have that amount of leadership from both sides to get to this point. Having that amount of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-year guys would make sense on the team, most definitely.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: Absolutely. We haven't got much sleep at all, and not just from the jet lag. Like, we're just excited for this game. We've been waiting our whole lives for this opportunity. The fact that it's right in front of us, we're really hyped up for this one.

Q. Sense of urgency, is it different than other weeks? You had Rose Bowl, Ohio State, Big Ten Championship, but how does it compare to this one?

KRIS JENKINS: It doesn't even compare a little bit to the amount of strain and the intensity we're focused on showing this week. It's got to be our absolute best game not of the season, but of our lives, it has to be.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: Repeat that question one more time.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: You said last year? After 2020? Oh, from COVID. I don't know why I thought you said Mikey. No, absolutely. Yeah, no, absolutely. That's where the culture really started, like, from that e-mail, how we needed a change, and I think the tipping point was when the leaders that we had back then, especially Aidan Hutchinson, Eric Alt at the time, you know, all the leaders we had back then embraced that fully and they definitely embraced that from the top down to the younger guys.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: Absolutely not. We remembered a message, but don't remember what was in the e-mail, but...

Q. Do you think something like that was needed?

KRIS JENKINS: Absolutely. It was definitely something that needed to be said and we're glad that Coach says it, because that's the type of person he is. He won't sugarcoat it. He'll say what needs to be said in the most dire times. So we needed that and we just needed to embrace it.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: It was different, at least for me. That was after my first year and that was the first time I've heard or seen anything like that. But it's been like that ever since. After practices, if we feel how the intensity is starting to go down or we're starting to feel a certain type of way, he'll definitely address that in his way. It won't be any negative thing, but it will be addressed and we'll have to come together as a team to really embrace that.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: It definitely changed the culture to really just making us like a family, really just, like, keeping us together, keeping us on a one-track mind. That's what coach calls it. Really just keeping us on the same page and just really embracing that we're all going to have to work together in order to get to where we want to get to.

Q. Washington's offense, do they remind you of anybody?

KRIS JENKINS: Over the years? Honestly, no, I wouldn't say they -- I can't really compare or say they remind me of anybody because they're great team. This is a really good passing game I think we've probably ever faced, maybe compared to Ohio State, because everybody knows their passing game's elite. But this is an elite passing game and run scheme that we're going to face.

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: I don't think it's -- you wouldn't really call it hard as long as you're -- like, you just got to be dialed in every single second of every single play, which is how we play -- how we work on playing football. You just got to be dialed in. You can't be tired. You got to be able to focus every single snap of the game.

Is that why you're wearing purple? I don't know. That ain't it. (Laughing.)

Q. With all the pressure leading up to these games, preparing really just for a month straight for really just two games, now you have a week to prepare for this game, how have you been able to stay mentally prepared as well as physically prepared and how is your mental health and team's mental health through all this constant pressure you've been playing?

KRIS JENKINS: Mental health?

Q. Yeah, just constant staying --

KRIS JENKINS: No, I'm messing with you.

No, I think that really just goes back to falling back on our training and I really got to give -- we really got to give props to Coach Herb and our coaches because the way we've been training, starting from the winter cycle, we've really been putting so much emphasis and training to the point where Coach Herb will literally address the team, and he'll be like, You know you're hurting, you know your body's hurting, you know you're sore, but the question is, what are you going to do? Are you still going to work hard enough to get to where you want to be or accomplish the dreams you said you want to accomplish or are you going it lay here and die and let moment slip?

Q. Since you guys did have three or four weeks of Alabama, now just seven days for Washington here, does it feel better to be back on a normal game week schedule? Is it a little bit different in that respect as well?

KRIS JENKINS: No, absolutely, because you definitely get a lot more preparation time for the first playoff game, but you're definitely antsy. You just want to play that game. Like, 20 days into preparation you can't wait to play that game. Now that we got seven days, it's happening quicker, but we're excited. It feels back on schedule.

Q. Who is the fastest guy on the team?

KRIS JENKINS: Eamonn Dennis.

Q. Why?

KRIS JENKINS: When we go against him in practice, he plays that slot receiver and whenever he gets the jet sweep, he just takes off. If we overrun him and we take a bad angle, it's one cut and we're put on film.

Q. Who is the strongest guy?

KRIS JENKINS: Strongest guy is definitely between -- in my opinion, between Zinter and Drake Nugent. Yeah, definitely one of the strongest. Drake Nugent is a freak, though. Like, you can see that big man do, like, 15, 18 pullups in a row and you're just dumbfounded, like, how is this 315-pound man doing this?

Q. Favorite Michigan player of all time?

KRIS JENKINS: Of all time? Honestly, this is a lame answer, but probably Coach Harbaugh because really we just started watching his old school films and his interviews back in the day and it's kind of crazy, you know, kind of how old school he used to be. It's kind of funny watching it during the Bo Schembechler days. But, yeah...

Q. (No microphone.)

KRIS JENKINS: Oh, yeah, like, when we were talking about staying -- you know, coming back this year. It wasn't, like, a whole -- it wasn't, like, some TV, like, the guy's coming back wearing, like, a -- oh, last question, I guess.

It was more like we're on a group text. Everybody's kind of feeling a similar way, so we got added to the text message and we really kind of asked to see where everybody was at. That's when we all decided what was best for the team.

Q. What's the biggest thing Washington brings to you guys? What's the biggest challenge you'll have from them?

KRIS JENKINS: Definitely the passing game is definitely going to be a big challenge, and we're definitely ready to step up for that challenge.