{"id":2739,"date":"2016-10-26T07:30:48","date_gmt":"2016-10-26T11:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordoncollegefootball.com\/?p=2739"},"modified":"2018-01-13T00:37:29","modified_gmt":"2018-01-13T05:37:29","slug":"vanderbilts-andrew-jelks-tackles-life-after-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2016\/10\/26\/vanderbilts-andrew-jelks-tackles-life-after-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Sidelined by Injuries, Vanderbilt’s Andrew Jelks Tackles Life After Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sidelined by Injuries, Vanderbilt’s Andrew Jelks Tackles Life After Football<\/h2>\n

Andrew Jelks<\/strong> is a relentless, tough, and intelligent Vanderbilt<\/strong> Man. There is a poem called \u201cThe Dash<\/a><\/strong>\u201d written by Linda Ellis<\/strong>. It defines life by two dates: the date you were born and the date of your death, and specifically “the dash” in between those two dates is the most important part. Life, or \u201cthe dash\u201d, is a series of dates and moments. Ordinary moments. Defining moments. Game-changing moments. And Andrew Jelks is currently living his \u201cdash\u201d to the fullest.<\/p>\n

VFL = Vandy For Life<\/h3>\n

Wise beyond his years, Jelks knew his football career would not last forever. As a four-star recruit, Jelks was a 6\u20196\u201d, 260 lb. tackle ready to make an impact on any of the\u00a0SEC<\/strong> offensive lines. He\u00a0was born and raised a Tennessee Volunteer<\/strong>, but in spite of family history, he followed his head. He knew he wanted a world-class education to carry him through\u00a0life.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompetition brings excellence. I compete with the best students in the country Monday through Friday and the best athletes in the country on Saturday\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On November 12, 2011, Jelks made a life-changing decision by committing to Vanderbilt University. Jelks was a senior captain on the Henry County High School<\/strong><\/a> football team in Paris, Tennessee.<\/strong>\u00a0A starter for three years, he led his undefeated team to their first-ever state championship. He collected numerous honors on the football field, as well as being ranked in the top ten percent of his class off the field. Jelks was ready to tackle the world.<\/p>\n

Traveling Team<\/h3>\n

The year 2012 was his first season<\/a> on West End. Jelks quickly settled into classes and into football. He had excellent agility and technique in fall camp, and as a result he earned a spot on the two-deep roster and the traveling team. \u201cThe experience I gained traveling that first year was great. Being able to travel and see what happens on the road is an experience like no other.\u201d Jelks recalled. He ended up red-shirted; all the while he was spending plenty of time in the weight room bulking up.<\/p>\n

\"NASHVILLE,
NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 27: Andrew Jelks #50 of the Vanderbilt Commodores. (Photo by Frederick Breedon\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Living Up to the Hype<\/h3>\n

In 2013, Jelks was named to the Coaches\u2019 SEC All-Freshman squad. He earned Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America<\/strong>. Jelks played in 12 games in 2013, eventually earning a starting spot at right tackle the fourth game of the season. The Commodores<\/strong> went 7-2 with Jelks in the starting lineup. Notably, he had 42 blocks that directly led to Vandy first downs or touchdowns. Jelks also recorded 26 knockdown blocks. Vanderbilt went on to beat the Houston Cougars<\/strong> in the BBVA Compass Bowl<\/strong>, their third bowl appearance in three years. With an impressive\u00a0season, Jelks lived up to the pre-season honors. The classroom was no different, as he was named to his first of three SEC Academic Honor Rolls.<\/p>\n

The Business of Football<\/h3>\n

On January 17, 2014, Vanderbilt hired\u00a0Derek Mason<\/strong>\u00a0as their new head coach. With a new head coach comes new position coaches. Ultimately, the head coaching change led to three offensive coordinators, three offensive line coaches, and three strength coaches in five<\/em> years. Jelks spoke about the changes \u201cFootball is a business. I knew that but don\u2019t think I fully understood it until I went through\u00a0it\u201d Jelks continued, \u201cIt was tough when it happened. But, I truly believe Mason is the best man for this job and for Vanderbilt. He is building a program the right way. He has changed the culture. I was one of 22 recruits in the 2012 class; there are just seven of us left. He didn\u2019t care who you were or if you were a starter if you didn\u2019t buy in you were not going to play for him\u2026Everyone on this team is 100% behind Mason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rough Start<\/h3>\n

Jelks started all 12 games in the 2014 season, but the season was nothing short of a let down. After three straight bowl appearances, the Commodores struggled to find their identity. Jelks contributed as best he could on the field and in the locker room. Vanderbilt limped through the season 3-9 overall, 0-8 (SEC) and finally came to a disappointing end on chilly night in Nashville<\/strong> on November 29, 2014 against Tennessee.<\/p>\n

This would be the last football game that Jelks would ever play in. He just didn\u2019t know it yet.<\/p>\n

\"NASHVILLE,
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 29: Andrew Jelks #50 of the Vanderbilt Commodores plays against the Tennessee Volunteers at Vanderbilt Stadium on November 29, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Important to realize, there was a tweak or two to the coaching staff after the \u201914 season, including two key hires, Andy Ludwig<\/strong> as the offensive coordinator, and\u00a0James Dobson<\/strong> as the strength and conditioning coach. It was the second season with Mason as head coach, and his first season as defensive coordinator. It was an earlier than usual spring ball and spring game. Summer started, as did the workouts with Dobson. \u201cI believe Dobson has been Mason\u2019s best hire. We spend most of our time with the strength coaches, and Dobson has the same philosophy as Mason in life and in football\u201d raved Jelks. Spring and summer came and went, and finally it was time for the boys of Fall.<\/p>\n

Blindsided<\/h3>\n

It was August 19, 2015. Jelks went down<\/a> with a season-ending ACL tear. Blindsided by Jelks’ injury, Mason had to rework his game plan accordingly. \u201cMason was with me the entire time. He never left as I went through the 45-minute MRI. He stayed in the waiting room with Bos<\/strong> (Tom Bossung,<\/strong> Head Athletic Trainer). I cried when they told me it was my ACL, and my season was over. \u00a0Time is precious for coaches in fall camp, and Mason stayed with me through the whole process. It says a lot about him as a man to be there for his players. That is how he is with everybody not just myself\u201d Jelks recalled.<\/p>\n

He struggled with the guilt of letting his teammates down. Jelks got through the pain and guilt with the support of his football family in addition to building a stronger relationship with Christ. Which led him to an active role in Fellowship of Christian Athletes<\/strong> (FCA).<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

\"jelks2\"Senior Season Begins<\/h3>\n

On February 22, 2016, spring ball kicked off Jelks red-shirt senior season. The anticipation for the 2016 season was truly electric. Jelks dressed out for spring practice but was still ‘no contact’; his knee was healing nicely. In any event, Mason ultimately made the call that Jelks would not practice during spring ball, so Jelks worked to get his conditioning and strength levels back up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Will Not Give Up<\/h3>\n

It was June 13, 2016, the second week of summer training. As Jelks is lifting weights, his\u00a0left knee shifts and buckles. By the end of the day, he learned he had torn his ACL again. <\/em>Distraught and overwhelmed by the news, Jelks had questions. His love for his teammates and the university compelled him to ask if there was anyway he could play his senior year. There were options and Jelks had hope. \u201cI gave it my all. I gave everything I had to this team and this university.\u201d The coaches, doctors, and trainers informed him of all<\/em> the risks. He insisted on playing. Despite their efforts to sideline him, Jelks would not<\/em> be deterred. He knew it was his last chance to play football, and he was willing to sacrifice it all for one last season.<\/p>\n

After much hesitation and a lot of resolution from Jelks, they said they would<\/em> let Jelks play. Taped up with a new knew brace, he was back at practice the next morning. No one knew Jelks was injured, none of the other coaches, none of the players. The only people who knew were the ones in the initial meeting, as well as Ludwig, and Jelks\u2019 parents and siblings. He survived summer workouts. However, not without pain, he refused to give up on his left knee or his team.<\/p>\n

All Out of Options<\/h3>\n

On August 4, 2016, Vanderbilt kicked off fall practice. Jelks felt his left knee shift yet again. He only made it through three practices before discovering that his left ACL and meniscus were torn. His season was over. On August 11, 2016 after practice Mason\u00a0simply said Jelks’ was out for the season with a knee injury. Above all, Jelks did not want a big story or to be a distraction. Mason praised him for his handling of the injury and the situation. A medical red-shirt is still an option, although Jelks has not made a final decision. As he goes through his senior season, he is ever present on the sidelines during the games. As a result, Jelks\u00a0is an extra set of eyes for the coaches and an encouraging word to his teammates.<\/p>\n

Graduation<\/h3>\n

On December 17, 2016 Andrew Moore Jelks will graduate from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Human and Organizational Development. His career path is undecided, but at the same time, his options are limitless. He would like to work with developmentally and mentally-challenged individuals. However, this injury has opened his eyes to the exciting challenges of coaching, another path he would enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"jelks3\"
#50 Andrew Jelks of the Vanderbilt Commodores after a game. (Photo by: Stan Jones, courtesy of Andrew Jelks)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Andrew Jelks continues his \u201cdash\u201d through life, there will continue to be a series of dates and moments. Ordinary moments. Defining moments. Game-changing moments. Surely he will continue to be relentless and tackle them with the same heart and passion he has for the past five years. Jelks is making the most of his \u201cdash\u201d. By and large, he is living the life of a relentless, tough and intelligent Vanderbilt Man.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"jelksvandy\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sidelined by Injuries, Vanderbilt’s Andrew Jelks Tackles Life After Football Andrew Jelks is a relentless, tough, and intelligent Vanderbilt Man. There is a poem called \u201cThe Dash\u201d written by Linda Ellis. It defines life by two dates: the date you were born and the date of your death, and specifically “the dash” in between those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1643,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[858,859,184,79,128,71,860,126,59,861,96],"class_list":["post-2739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sec","category-featured","tag-andrew-jelks","tag-andy-ludwig","tag-cfb","tag-college-football","tag-derek-mason","tag-football","tag-james-dobson","tag-ncaa","tag-tennessee-volunteers","tag-tom-bossung","tag-vanderbilt-commodores"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1643"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2739\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}