Chris Porter caught up with Jennings to talk brotherhood, belief, and the Patriots’ remarkable turnaround.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The First Coast will be well represented on football’s biggest stage.  Jacksonville natives Terrell Jennings and DeMario “Pop” Douglas are headed to Super Bowl 60 as AFC champions with the New England Patriots, turning a lifelong bond into a moment years in the making.

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, First Coast News Sports Director Chris Porter caught up with Jennings to talk brotherhood, belief, and the Patriots’ remarkable turnaround, a journey that started long before the bright lights of the NFL.

Jennings’ football roots run deep in Duval County. Jennings and Douglas won a state championship in 2018 at Mandarin High School. Jennings and Douglas have been competing together since Pop Warner.  Even then, the connection was obvious, two competitors pushing each other daily, dreaming well beyond Friday nights.

That dream followed Jennings to college, where he helped lead the Florida A&M Rattlers to the 2023 SWAC Championship and Celebration Bowl victory, sharpening his edge and belief that his path didn’t end there.

Now, that same belief has carried him to New England and right back alongside Douglas.

Jennings has spent the last two seasons with his former high school teammate, a man he simply calls his brother. He says Douglas has been instrumental as he continues to earn more playing time with the Patriots, helping him adjust to the speed, detail, and mental grind of the NFL.

“Pop’s been through it,” Jennings said. “Having someone you trust, someone who knows you, it makes everything easier.”

That sense of trust extends beyond the locker room and straight to the top. Jennings credits first-year head coach Mike Vrabel for the Patriots’ rapid rise back into championship contention.

From day one, Jennings says that Vrabel set the tone.

“He preached brotherhood immediately,” Jennings said. “Family atmosphere. Everybody accountable, everybody connected. That’s why it works.”

Now, that culture built on belief and brotherhood has New England back on the sport’s biggest stage. 

For Jennings and Douglas, it’s more than a Super Bowl appearance. It’s a shared journey from Jacksonville fields to NFL glory, proof that the First Coast doesn’t just produce talent, it produces champions.