A UConn football assistant coach turned himself in on a warrant stemming from a crash that left his car smoking and abandoned near a tree on Grant Hill Road in Tolland. Brooks Jenkins, 31, of Vernon now faces six charges including evading responsibility, driving without a license and failing to take a sobriety test.
According to Patch, Jenkins surrendered to state police on the warrant, which stemmed from a crash that took place at 10:23 p.m. on Aug. 27 on Grant Hill Road. State police reportedly found Jenkins' vehicle unoccupied, smoking, with its airbags deployed near a tree and its registration carrying expired Ohio plates. Jenkins is an assistant defensive tackles coach for the Huskies, a position he took on with UConn's football program during the 2026 season.
A warrant affidavit cited by Patch alleges that a neighborhood witness reported smelling alcohol on Jenkins after he approached the crash scene. The witness told investigators that after briefly turning away, Jenkins — who had said he lost control of the vehicle — had vanished, according to the same account.
Charges Stack Up From Registration to Resisting
Jenkins faces charges that include failure to renew a registration, evading responsibility, failure to take a sobriety test, driving without a license and interfering with police, per Patch's report on the warrant. He posted a $35,000 bond following his surrender.
The exact date of his next court appearance is unsettled in the available reporting. Patch states he is due in Rockville Superior Court on Oct. 13, while the Hartford Courant reports the appearance is set for Oct. 14 in Rockville.
A Rising Coaching Career Now Under Scrutiny
Jenkins arrived at UConn from Toledo as part of a broader coaching staff shakeup, the same report notes. At Toledo in 2025, he served as director of player development and assistant defensive analyst under head coach Jason Candle, according to his bio on UConn Huskies' athletics site. Before that stint, he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working primarily with the defense, the same bio states.
Jenkins' coaching résumé also includes a run at Mount Union, where the program went 44-2 during his tenure, winning four Ohio Athletic Conference titles and the 2017 NCAA Division III National Championship, per the school's coaching staff page.
A UConn spokesman referred questions about the case to the athletics department, which had not released a statement as of late Monday morning, the Patch report states. The case remains open, and no outcome of any court appearance has been reported.
