He registered 72 tackles (12 for loss), 10 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and one blocked field goal, while receiving All-state honors.
A 3-star recruit, Jelks committed to play football at Oregon over offers from Arizona State, California, Nebraska, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin, among others.
As a sophomore in a reserve role, he contributed with 31 tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks and 2 pass breakups in 8 games.
[6] On August 16, 2020, he was released to make room for the signing of free agent defensive end Everson Griffen.
[14] Jelks was waived by Washington with an injury designation on July 26, 2021, and reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers.