By Harry Minium
When he announced he was leaving West Virginia to enter the transfer portal, Ali Jennings III got plenty of phone calls.
And little wonder. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound wide receiver has it all – speed, great hands and the strength to take the ball away from a defensive back.
He was an all-state choice in 2018 at Richmond area powerhouse Highland Springs High School, who he helped lead to a state title his senior year. He was a three-star recruit who turned down North Carolina, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Michigan State to attend WVU.
So, when he entered the portal, half a dozen FBS schools reached out to him, including East Carolina, which was the early favorite.
He eventually chose Old Dominion, he said, because he's convinced that head coach Ricky Rahne and his coaching staff are rebuilding ODU's program and doing it the right way.
"I fell in love with the coaching staff," Jennings said. "They've changed the culture. They're going to change this program.
"I can't wait to see it happen. I wanted to be here when it happens."
Jennings said he was disappointed that the Monarchs, then with a different coaching staff, did not recruit him in high school, but said when he entered the portal, ODU reached out to him immediately.
He knew wide receivers coach Mark Dupuis, whom he had met at Penn State's summer camp, and Rahne made a great first impression.
He knew a lot of players on the team, including wide receiver Isiah Paige, a cousin who graduated from Varina High School, one of Highland Springs' main rivals.
But Dupuis said ODU clinched the deal when Rahne lured assistant coach Fontel Mines away from ECU. A former Virginia star who played in the NFL, Mines is from Richmond, where he coached at the University of Richmond.
And he has known Jennings since he played community league football.
Mines, ODU's tight ends coach, recruits the Richmond area for the Monarchs, and ODU has had a lot of success in the 804 region as of late.
"When coach Mines joined the staff, he said, 'I think I can persuade him to become a Monarch,' " Dupuis said. "I think that clinched it."
When he arrived on campus, Jennings said he expected some players to be hostile. He was a transfer who would compete for playing time and didn't arrive until a few months ago. But he was surprised during his first team meeting when everyone in the room individually welcomed him.
"They accepted me as soon as I stepped in the building," he said. "They all exchanged numbers with me, told me they were glad I came. That was a shock to me.
"Usually, guys are like a little shaky when transfers come in. But not here. Even the receiving corps, they all accepted me. I love those guys and they love me."
He has since learned that's a part of the culture Rahne is building. And while catchy phrases can be trite, Jennings' said Rahne's mantra of "Care, Character, Compete" has been embraced by the players.
"It affects everything we do, on and off the field," he said.
Rahne said his players welcomed not just Jennings, but all nine FBS transfers.
"Ali is one of the guys now," he said. "I don't think any of the kids think of our transfers as transfers."
Jennings comes to ODU with a sterling resume. He caught 40 passes for 874 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at Highland Springs, which finished 15-0.
As a freshman, he showed much potential at WVU, hauling in 19 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown and also played on special teams. But last fall, during the midst of the pandemic, his playing time was limited.
Mark Dupuis
His departure from WVU was cordial. "I loved my time there, all my coaches and my teammates, but I just felt like the best decision for me was to leave."
He's arguably been ODU's best receiver in fall camp.
"He's going to be a dynamic playmaker for us," Rahne said. "He's one of the guys we're counting on."
He has big-time experience – he played in the Big 12, including games at Texas and Oklahoma, while at WVU – but said in reality, there's not as much a difference between a Group of 5 school like ODU and the Power 5 as most people believe.
ODU plays its opener against a Power 5 team on Sept. 3 when the Monarchs travel to Wake Forest.
"The biggest difference is the facilities," he said. "But that's pretty much it. We get the same treatment here, the same respect as players got at West Virginia.
"We play on the same level. They (Wake Forest) might have more recruiting stars than us, but as long as we come out and do our job, we'll be fine."
Jennings still has a lot to learn. He is only in his third week in camp and doesn't yet fully know ODU's offense.
"He has a lot of areas of growth he needs to make," Dupuis said. "He's like anyone else who's learning an offense.
"But the sky is the limit for his potential in this conference. His ball skills are some of the best on the roster. But it's his ability to make the contested catch that gives him an opportunity to be special in this conference. He can go up and get 50/50 balls.
"We're so excited about his potential."
This isn't the first transfer for Jennings. He grew up in Richmond's West End suburbs and played for three seasons at Hermitage High School. But during the winter of his junior year, his family moved to the East End of Henrico County, 30 minutes from Hermitage.
Jennings had a waiver that would have allowed him to stay at Hermitage, which finished 11-2 his junior year. He was torn at first, but elected to go to Highland Springs, where he blossomed on and off the field.
"That was the best decision I could have made," he said. "That program changed my life."
Highland Springs has been a powerhouse for decades and coach Loren Johnson holds his players to a high standard. When Jennings transferred, he was told to work harder on academics. That summer, he missed Highland Springs' 7-on-7 drills to play for an American all-star team in Mexico.
When he returned, he was last on the depth chart.
"He had to earn his starting position," Johnson said.
Highland Springs is unusual in that it has a coach, Keylon Mayo, devoted fully to help promote players to colleges and provide them academic assistance. Highland Springs athletic director Harry Lee Daniels, a former Richmond football player, also helps promote players to colleges.
They also work with players to make sure they present the right public image. Players are taught to be respectful and humble and to focus on academics.
Johnson said he was unhappy when Jennings entered the transfer portal, because in general, he doesn't like players to transfer.
"But I'm very happy with where he ended up," he said.
"The coaches at ODU are the key. The head man is really the key for me.
"Ricky Rahne and I have had a lot of great conversations. We've kind of mended the Highland Springs-ODU relationship.
"He reached out to us early on and often. We've talked about things we can do to make high school football better in the state of Virginia. His top recruiting priority is Virginia. He's made that clear."
Fontel Mines
Jennings said he's enjoying life at ODU.
"I love this culture," he said. "Everyone is open. We can talk about anything to each other, including the coaches.
"Everybody loves being around each other. Not one guy who hates being here. We work hard but we're also having fun."
He said he and his teammates are aching to play a game – ODU's last was on Nov. 30, 2019. The Monarchs did not play in 2020 because of the pandemic.
"Even though I played last year, it wasn't the same," he said. "We didn't have fans.
"When we see the fans in our first home game, even our first game at Wake Forest, it's going to be a great feeling.
"This is a great team. We've got great chemistry. We've worked so hard over the summer. I know they've been working hard now for almost two years without a season.
"We're ready to go."
Minium was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in his 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot and won 27 state and national writing awards. He covers all ODU athletics for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Transfer Wide Receiver from West Virginia Could Make a Big Impact for ODU Football
