Anfernee Jennings (born May 1, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

and was selected in the third round of the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

by the Patriots.

Early life

Jennings grew up in

Dadeville, Alabama Dadeville is a city in and the county seat of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 3,230, up from 3,212 in 2000. History Prior to its incorporation, Dadeville was an Indian trading post and a center ...

, and attended Dadeville High School, where he played defensive end and tight end for the Tigers. He made 171 tackles with seven sacks in his junior season and was named honorable mention Super All-State by '' AL.com''. As a senior, Jennings was named first-team 4A All-State and the 4A Lineman of the Year after posting 170 tackles with 88 solo stops, 14 sacks, nine pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Rated a four-star recruit, Jennings committed to play

at Alabama over offers from Arkansas, Arizona State, Georgia, Mississippi State and Nebraska.

College career

Jennings

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his true freshman season as he moved from defensive end to the outside linebacker position. He played as a key reserve as a redshirt freshman, finishing the year with 19 tackles (two for loss) and three quarterback hurries. Jennings became a starter during redshirt sophomore season and made 41 tackles, six for a loss, with one sack. Jennings suffered what was initially diagnosed to be a PCL injury in the final minutes of the 2018 Sugar Bowl against Clemson, causing him to miss the

2018 College Football Playoff National Championship The 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 8, 2018, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, and was televised nationally by ESPN. The fourth College Football Playoff N ...

Game. The injury was re-evaluated and Jennings was found to have also damaged an artery and developed a blood clot in his leg. Jennings returned from his injury in time to begin his redshirt junior season. He finished the year with 51 tackles, including 14 for loss, 6.5 sacks, with an interception, a team-high 11 passes defended and two fumble recoveries (one of which was returned for his first career touchdown). Jennings entered his redshirt senior season on the

Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player of the year in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and profess ...

and

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

watchlists and was named pre-season All-SEC and a second-team pre-season All-American by the ''

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

''. Jennings had 83 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, five pass breakups, one forced fumble and an interception and was named first-team All-SEC in his final season. Jennings finished his collegiate career with 194 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and 20 passes defended in 54 games (38 starts).

Professional career

In the

, Jennings was drafted by the

in the third round with the 87th overall pick. He made his NFL debut in the season opener on September 13, 2020, against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, playing nine snaps on defense in a 21–11 win. Jennings made his first career start on October 18, 2020, recording three tackles in a 18–12 loss to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. On August 31, 2021, Jennings was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Jennings entered the 2022 season as a backup linebacker. He played in 16 games with three starts, recording 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble. On March 15, 2024, Jennings signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Patriots.

Personal life

Jennings's younger brother, Shawndarius "Shawn" Jennings, also plays college football and originally played at Alabama with Anfernee before transferring to South Alabama. As of January 2025, Jennings has been in a relationship with Brittany Hurst.

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bioNew England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Anfernee 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Tallapoosa County, Alabama American football linebackers Alabama Crimson Tide football players People from Dadeville, Alabama New England Patriots players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen