Kelly Jennings played at Suwanee High School in Florida where he started at both cornerback and receiver. As a junior, Jennings caught 26 passes for 386 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. On defense he recorded 35 tackles and picked off two passes on the season. He received the school’s scholar athlete award for maintaining a 3.42 grade point average that year. As a senior, Jennings totaled 43 receptions for 720 yards and 5 touchdowns as a receiver. On defense he had 41 tackles and one interception. He was a key component to a team that went 9-4 and advanced to the third round of the state playoffs. Kelly was considered to be one of the top five defensive back prospects in the state of Florida. He was heavily recruited by Florida, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Louisiville, but he opted to sign with the Miami Hurricanes instead. He spent the 2001 season on the scout team as a redshirt. The following spring Jennings earned the starting left cornerback spot. He tore a ligament in his left thumb which caused him to miss the first game. He played with a cast on his left hand the rest of the season, recording 25 tackles and one interception while breaking up six other passes. As a sophomore, Jennings lost his starting job. He played nickel back that season, picking up just 18 tackles and breaking up six passes. In 2004 Jennings earned the starting left cornerback job once again. This time he would hold onto the position for the next two years. He saw a lot of action that year, starting opposite Antrel Rolle. He recorded a career high 40 tackles, intercepted two passes and broke up five more passes. He entered his senior season as the Hurricanes top cornerback.

Kelly Jennings is a slim cornerback with good height and speed for the position. He has a great deal of experience against top competition, having started three of the past four seasons at left cornerback for the Hurricanes. He isn’t the most physical corner in the country, but he is a smart player with good instincts. His speed allows him to turn and run with just about any receiver that lines up against him. He has good hips and changes direction well. He has a good backpedal and when he is beat, he has excellent recovery speed. He prefers to play man coverage rather than zone. He isn’t very good at jamming receivers at the line and he tries to use his speed to make up for that. He needs to be more physical in run support as well. He has only average hands and will drop some catchable balls. The biggest problem with Jennings is his size. He has good height but is too slim. He needs to bulk up some and increase his strength to matchup better against some of the bigger receivers in the NFL. He isn’t likely to become a shutdown cornerback at the next level; however, Kelly Jennings has the tools to develop into a solid second or nickel corner in the NFL.