From homelessness to FCS football and a ‘gamble’ from the Patriots, Terrell Jennings just kept pushing
"I can’t wait to see what he does," DeMario Douglas said. "This is that opportunity that he’s been waiting on."
FOXBOROUGH — For the first time this season, a large group of reporters circled around Terrell Jennings’s locker to talk with the 24-year-old practice squad running back.
Antonio Gibson, whose locker is directly next to Jennings’s, had gone down with a season-ending ACL surgery. With the Patriots suddenly in need of a third running back, promoting Jennings could be a consideration.
“Me and Antonio are actually really close,” Jennings said. “That’s my locker buddy as well. So, he told me ‘it’s your time, it’s time to go.’ I took that hard because that’s my brother. I’m with him every day.
“To see him go down like that, it hurt me to the core. So, I would be wrong if I don’t go out there and do my job.”
The 6-foot, 217-pound running back is a self-described lifelong “underdog.”
He attended an historically black college, Florida A&M, which competes at the FCS level in football. He signed with the Patriots after going undrafted last year and has held on to a spot on the practice squad. He grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where he experienced poverty and stretches of homelessness.
“For me, it was kind of tough because I didn’t grow up in the best situation in Jacksonville,” Jennings told Boston.com. “I grew up on the north side of town, dealing with homelessness during some years of my life. That was kind of rough for me, growing up there, having that upbringing, but it molded me into who I am today. I’m always grateful for every opportunity I get, so I feel like that helped me.”
Jennings’s toughness is one of the attributes that stood out to coach Mike Vrabel.
“Well, one, I think he’s a great teammate,” Vrabel said. “I think he cares about the team. He’s able to play on special teams, he’s able to play on fourth down. He’s got a toughness to him, and I think he’s improved.”
The goal is for that toughness to translate into hard-nosed physical running within the Patriots’ offense.
“Downhill, physical runner. That’s what I bring to the table,” Jennings said. “Pass pro as well. I just try to protect my teammates, protect the quarterback and protect the ball as well, so getting downhill, running through, breaking tackles, that’s what I bring to the table.”
Jennings starred at Florida A&M, finishing 12th on the school’s all-time list with 1,860 career rushing yards. He was MVP of the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game. He credits his path through the small school with sharpening his focus and toughness.
“My time at FAMU shaped me really well because it’s not your traditional D1 school,” Jennings said. “You don’t get all the facilities. You don’t get all the TV time and stuff like that. We really do stuff under ground. At FAMU, it taught me how to be tough. No matter what you’re doing through outside of football, there’s always another day to get better at what you do.”
Receiver DeMario Douglas, also a Jacksonville native, has witnessed much of Jennings’s journey. They grew up competing against each other before teaming up at Mandarin High School and winning a state title.
“When we were younger, we played against each other in Pop Warner,” Douglas said. “You won’t believe that he was bigger than everybody, but he was. But then, ninth grade, that’s when we became close playing 7-on-7 together.”
“He was one of those running backs that was real good at receiver too. Then, we ended up playing on the same high school team and that’s when we got super close. I feel like after that, our paths just kept bringing us together.”
It was there, at Mandarin, where Jennings met a teacher who changed his life.
“We stayed with my grandmother for a [while], then we would get back on our feet,” Jennings said. “Then we would get knocked back down and then stay with my grandmother again. During my junior year going into my senior year, my stepdad got deported, so I was homeless again that way.
“My godparent, who was actually my teacher at the time, Natalia Gonzalez, she helped me through that. They took me in. I stayed with them for a season, they helped me get into college, and that was just the rest of the story. They were a big part of my life at the end of my high school career.”
He said the family that took him in became “like parents” to him, and the support helped him get through tough times. He still keeps in touch with them.
“It definitely was a blessing,” Jennings said. “Because I was actually sitting in the car with my homeboy, not knowing where I’m going to go or what I was about to do and she called me damn near in tears.”
“She’s at a cheerleading convention and she was like ‘oh you can come stay at our house’. They just welcomed me with open arms and I forever thank them for that because without them I don’t know where I would be.”
While it was tough seeing Gibson go down, the potential for Jennings to play for the first time this season has Douglas pumped up.
“I’m always lit when he’s on the field. I’m excited. I can’t wait to see what he does,” Douglas said. “This is that opportunity that he’s been waiting on.”
“People get in those areas where it’s gray in life. It’s like ‘dang, am I going to play this year’ or ‘man, it looks crowded.’ He trusted the process. He stayed the course and now is his time to go out there and show he can ball in this league.”
A few teams called Jennings for workouts after the draft last year. He couldn’t wait to give New England a shot because Douglas, whom he calls his brother, was there.
Through it all, there was a voice in his head that told him to just keep pushing. He ran with it all the way to Foxborough.
“When I got the call from New England and they said come try out, it was a no brainer,” Jennings said. “My brother was already here. You have to gamble in this life. When I was born it was a gamble, so I took it and I thank the Krafts, everyone for taking me in and treating me like family.”
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