**1\. From high school QB to Volunteers WR**
Before Jennings ever caught the ball, he shined as a passer. He played QB at Blackman High School (Tennessee), where as a senior he threw for 2,155 yards and 22 touchdowns; he also ran for 883 yards and 17 touchdowns and was named the 2014 _Tennessean_ Player of the Year.
Jennings converted to wide receiver at Tennessee and was an immediate contributor his freshman season, nabbing three balls for 56 yards in his debut. Fun fact: He once threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to former QB Joshua Dobbs on a trick play.
Jennings' role continued to expand for the Volunteers, as he recorded his first 100-plus-yard receiving game in 2016, making three catches for a whopping 111 yards and a touchdown. He finished that season with 40 receptions for 580 yards and seven TDs.
Jennings played just one game during his junior season but bounced back in 2018 and shined in 2019, logging four games with at least 100 receiving yards.
He finished his collegiate career with 146 receptions for 2,153 yards and 18 touchdowns.
**2\. 'Elite' blocker in the run game**
What's even better than a receiver who can make impressive grabs and get into the end zone? One who can do both of those things _plus_ make some incredible blocks.
Jennings isn't afraid to do the dirty work, and his aggressiveness in the run game has been well-documented.
"We just love to get our running backs in the end zone, man," Jennings [told Yahoo! Sports’ Matt Harmon](https://x.com/MattHarmon_BYB/status/1755280134763081999?s=20) ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. "And we understand to do that, most of the time that touchdown block is coming from a receiver on the edge.
"It's not as flashy as some of the other parts of the receiver job, but it definitely gets you a win and gets you to a stage like this," he added.
Niners Head Coach Kyle Shanahan said Jennings is probably the "most ferocious" run-blocking receiver he's coached.
"Our defense tried to fight him all last year because they thought he was going above and beyond," [Shanahan said](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=260463520280514) during a January 2024 press conference. "The next day in the meeting, I had to show them what he does every single play."