Photo courtesy of Liberty University

Rashad Jennings (23) transferred to Liberty from Pittsburgh after the 2005 football season. The Forest native leads the Flames in rushing.

LYNCHBURG -- Rashad Jennings has played for two high schools and two colleges. The Forest native's next team could be in the NFL.

Liberty University football coach Danny Rocco said 20 NFL scouts have been to campus this season to check out Jennings, a University of Pittsburgh transfer who ranks fourth in Division I-AA in rushing (148.5 ypg).

"I feel real confident he's going to make it in the NFL," Rocco said.

Bryan Jennings, a former Virginia Tech and NFL tight end, also sees pro talent in his kid brother.

"I can't even come up with the words of how proud I am of him, not only on the field but off the field," said Bryan Jennings, 33, now an assistant coach at Atlantic Shores Christian in Chesapeake.

While Jennings has made his mark at Liberty, he never made much of one at Jefferson Forest High School.

Jennings didn't get much playing time there, but that wasn't the only reason he transferred after his junior year. His schoolwork left much to be desired.

"He had become a momma's boy -- fat, lazy," said his eldest brother, former VMI and LU running back Butch Jennings.

Rashad Jennings transferred to Lynchburg Christian Academy (now Liberty Christian). He repeated his junior year and also spent his senior year there, and ran for more than 3,000 yards at the school.

Division I-A schools took notice. Jennings enrolled at Pitt in January 2005.

When the Panthers visited Notre Dame that fall, he became only the fourth true freshman in Pitt history to start a season opener at tailback.

"As soon as I walked out that tunnel, I was like, 'I can't believe I finally made it. This is college football,'" said Jennings, whose team visits VMI today.

He ran for 411 yards that season, but he wanted to be closer to his family because his father was ill at the time. Jennings' father, a diabetic, had a leg amputated below the knee that fall.

Jennings transferred to Liberty after the fall 2005 semester. He also eyed Virginia, but LU offered instant eligibility as a I-AA school. The religious aspect of the university also appealed to him.

"I want to use football as a ministry," he said.

Jennings' father is now doing well, and attends the Flames' games.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Jennings has rushed for 3,321 yards in his three LU seasons.

"He plays harder and faster on his 30th carry than he does his 10th," Rocco said.

Rocco said the senior tailback's versatility will boost his pro chances. He said Jennings, who has 21 catches this year, has the ability to be a primary back, a fullback or a third-down back in the NFL.

Jennings ran for 1,113 yards last fall, even though he was suspended by the NCAA for the first two games for an NCAA rules violation. Jennings, the 2007 Big South offensive player of the year, said the school incorrectly paid him a housing stipend even though he had changed his mind and opted not to live off campus.

"It was a school error," he said. "Even though I gave the checks back, it still looked bad."

This year, Jennings has rushed for 1,188 yards and 13 touchdowns on 203 carries for the No. 25 Flames (7-2, 3-0), who are the front-runners for the Big South crown.

"For him to have a big day, he's got to be running it up inside, between the tackles," Rocco said.

Not that Jennings doesn't have moves. He even took ballet lessons at brother Butch's church last summer to improve his balance and ankle strength.

Jennings has always looked up to his brothers, and relies upon them for advice.

"We both poured ourselves in him ... from the knowledge of the game to work ethic to studying the game," said Butch, 37, a pastor who also works for LU's multicultural center. "I'm so proud."

The advice could pay off with an NFL contract.

"My brothers have prepared me," Jennings said. "I know I can play."