Jenkins was born on October 10, 2001, in Olney, Maryland, the son of former NFL player Kris Jenkins, as well as being the nephew of Cullen Jenkins.[1][2] He attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, as a senior recording 40 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Jenkins enrolled at the University of Michigan in 2020, playing in one game as a true freshman. In 2021, he played in all 14 games, with four starts, and had 22 tackles. As a junior in 2022, he started all 14 games totaling 54 tackles and two sacks.[5][6]
He returned to Michigan for his senior season in 2023, captaining Michigan to a national championship.[7] Jenkins was awarded Second-team All-American honors by the FWAA and the AFCA.[8][9] Appearing in all 15 games, Jenkins finished with 37 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception on the year.[10]