Dreher High’s new football coach is star alum, former Gamecock and NFL QB
Dreher has turned to one of the high school’s greatest athletes of all time to lead its football program.
Former Blue Devil three-sport standout Corey Jenkins will be Dreher’s next football coach. He replaces Treigh Sullivan, who announced in January he was stepping down after nine seasons.
“Any student-athlete that graduates from a high school or college and gets a chance to go back and be head coach or position coach at his high school or college, I think it is a dream for most people,” Jenkins told The State on Friday. “For me, it is a really, really big thing. My mom graduated from Dreher High School. My aunts and uncles graduated from Dreher. My entire family, cousins everybody are Dreher graduates. Everyone is extremely happy and extremely proud. It is a big thing for me and my family and I am looking so forward to it.
“... This is home for me. The other home is being at the University of South Carolina. Those two schools mean so much for me. Being at Dreher is a stepping stone for me as a head coach and see what I can get developed.”
Jenkins spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Cardinal Newman. Before that, he was a running backs and tight ends coach at South Carolina State for two years.
Jenkins also was the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Carolina from 2016-18.
Jenkins was a first-round selection in the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft by the Boston Red Sox and was later traded to the Chicago White Sox organization. He played four seasons in professional baseball and made it to Double-A Birmingham.
After his baseball career, Jenkins returned to football and was a two-time Junior College All-American at Garden City Community College before signing with the hometown Gamecocks. He played two seasons and was South Carolina’s starting quarterback in 2002. He had almost 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns as a senior.
Jenkins was a sixth-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2003. He played two seasons with Miami and one with the Chicago Bears. He finished his pro football career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League in 2007.
“We are excited to have Corey Jenkins as our new head football coach. He brings a wealth of experience from both sides of the ball in all levels while being a product of the Dreher cluster, to include Rosewood Elementary and Hand Middle,” Dreher athletic director Daryl Jarvis said. “It’s not often you find a former professional athlete in your own backyard who’s as humble as Corey, that focuses on the growing of young people in order to lead them to a bigger picture. We look forward to the future of Dreher football.”
Jenkins said he plans to meet with his team next week and outline the offseason weighlifting program. He also will start putting together a staff in place.
Jenkins said he hopes to implement an “old-school style” of physical football mixed in with modern flavor.
Dreher is coming off a 2-6 season and missed the playoffs for the third straight year. The Blue Devils haven’t won a playoff game since 1994 when Jenkins was the starting quarterback. He broke his leg during the game but Dreher hung on to beat Cheraw 21-14.
The Blue Devils will be dropping from Class 4A to Class 3A next year and will be in Region 6-3A with Brookland-Cayce, Gilbert, Lower Richland, Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Swansea.
“It is going to be a learning lesson for me the next few months as a head coach, but it is going to be fun,” Jenkins said. “Certain things you don’t have to teach — desire, passion and wanting to be better. It is going to be a fun deal being in 3A and giving them a chance to compete. I also want to build these young men and let them know the importance of being a great young man and a winner off the field as well.”
The Dreher hire leaves the Midlands with just one football opening. Westwood has yet to fill its vacancy but is expected to in the coming weeks.
SC High School Football Openings
School — Former Coach — New Coach
AC Flora — Dustin Curtis— Ken Floyd
Airport — Kirk Burnett — Andre Cook
Bamberg-Ehrhardt — Robert Williams — Corey Crosby
Batesburg-Leesville — Gary Adams — Gene Cathcart
Ben Lippen — Stephen Cagle — Bennett Weigle
Bethune Bowman — Glen Darby — Cody McNeal
Blackville-Hilda — Brandon Isaac — TBA
Bluffton — John Houpt— Hayden Gregory
Boiling Springs — Rick Tate — Matt Reel
Dorman — Dave Guttshall — Dustin Curtis
Dreher — Treigh Sullivan — Corey Jenkins
Hemingway — Charlie Richards — TBA
Hilton Head Prep — Dave Adams — Dustin Etheridge
Lamar — Chad Wilkes — TBA
Lewisville — Will Mitchell — Leon Boulware
Newberry — Phil Strickland — Cedrick Jeter
North Augusta — Jim Bob Bryant — Matt Quinn
North Myrtle Beach — Matt Reel — TBA
Oceanside Collegiate — Joe Call — Chad Wilkes
South Pointe — DeVonte Holloman — TBA
Stall — Joe Bessinger — Benjamin Lailson
Strom Thurmond — Antwaun Hillary — Andrew Webb
Travelers Rest — Ray Gould — Michael Lancaster
Westwood — Matt Quinn — TBA
Whitmire — Charlie Jenkins — TBA
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 7:57 AM.
