Derrick Henry: From High School Phenomenon to NFL Star

Derrick Lamar Henry Jr., nicknamed "King Henry," has carved out a remarkable career in football, marked by his imposing physique and powerful running style. From shattering high school records to dominating the NFL, Henry's journey is a testament to his talent, hard work, and determination.

Early Life and High School Dominance

Born on January 4, 1994, in Yulee, Florida, to Stacy Veal and Derrick Henry Sr., Derrick Henry Jr. faced early life challenges. His father was largely absent due to legal troubles, and he was primarily raised by his grandmother, Gladys, who affectionately called him "Shocka." Even from a young age, Henry displayed a passion for football, showcasing his running ability as early as age two.

Henry's athletic prowess extended beyond football, as he also excelled in baseball. However, football remained his true passion, and he began playing organized football at age six. His size and power were evident early on, often requiring a copy of his birth certificate at games to verify his age. He consistently played up an age level due to exceeding the weight limits of his actual age group.

At Yulee High School, Henry starred in football, basketball, and track. His high school football career culminated in a national record of 12,124 career rushing yards, surpassing Ken Hall's long-standing record. During this period, he earned the moniker "King Henry" as he pursued the national high school rushing title. He also recorded 153 career touchdowns. As a track and field athlete, Henry competed as a sprinter from 2010 to 2011. In 2012, he recorded impressive results in athletic testing, further solidifying his status as a top football prospect.

College Career at the University of Alabama

Considered a five-star recruit, Henry committed to the University of Alabama, where he played under head coach Nick Saban from 2013 to 2015, majoring in communication.

2013 Season

As a true freshman in 2013, Henry contributed 382 rushing yards on 36 carries with three touchdowns, playing behind T. J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake. He had 111 rushing yards and his first collegiate rushing touchdown against Arkansas.

2014 Season

During the 2014 Sugar Bowl, he rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on eight carries and had a 61-yard touchdown reception against Oklahoma. Spanish-language broadcaster Pablo Viruega on ESPN Deportes nicknamed him "El Tractorcito" (The Little Tractor) due to his long stride and powerful gait. He finished the season with 990 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

2015 Season: Heisman Trophy and National Championship

Following Yeldon's departure for the NFL, Henry became the starting running back as a junior in 2015. He rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown against Arkansas. Alabama qualified for the College Football Playoff and faced Michigan State in the National Semifinals. In the Cotton Bowl victory over the Spartans, Henry had 75 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. During Alabama's victory over Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship, he rushed for 158 yards on 36 carries with three touchdowns, breaking Shaun Alexander's record for most career rushing yards in Alabama history.

Playing in all 15 games, he rushed for SEC records 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns on 395 carries. His outstanding performance earned him the Heisman Trophy, joining Mark Ingram as the second Alabama player to win the prestigious award. He also became the first running back since Ingram to win and just the second since Ron Dayne.

NFL Career with the Tennessee Titans

Coming out of Alabama, Henry was projected to be drafted in the late first or second round. Scouts praised his large frame, violent running style, ability to break tackles, speed, long strides, superior conditioning, and consistent play. The Tennessee Titans selected Henry in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.

Read also: US Education System Performance

2016 Season

Henry began his rookie season as the backup running back to veteran DeMarco Murray, wearing No. 2 jersey throughout training camp and preseason and donned the No. He made his NFL debut and earned his first NFL start in the Titans' season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He finished the game with five carries for three yards and two receptions for 41 yards. During Week 8, Henry scored his first NFL touchdown on a 6-yard rush in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

2017 Season

For most of the 2017 season, Henry split carries with DeMarco Murray. During Week 2, Henry ran for 92 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in a road victory against the Jaguars. On Monday Night Football, Henry ran for a then career-best 131 yards on 19 carries, including a 72-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The Titans finished second in the AFC South and made the playoffs as a wild-card team. In the wild-card round, Henry had the best performance of his career up to that point, rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and catching two passes for 35 yards in a road victory against the Chiefs. His 191 yards-from-scrimmage was a franchise record. Henry finished the regular season with 176 carries for 744 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 15 games and two starts. He also caught 11 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown.

2018 Season

Henry ended up splitting carries with Dion Lewis for most of the 2018 season. From Weeks 4-13, Henry averaged nine carries for only 37 yards per game, and never rushed for over 60 yards. This all changed in Week 14 against the Jaguars. In the second quarter, Henry had a 99-yard touchdown run, fending off three tacklers, tying him with Tony Dorsett for the longest NFL touchdown run. He finished the game with four rushing touchdowns and 238 rushing yards on 17 carries, breaking Chris Johnson's franchise record of 228 yards in 2009. He also became the ninth player in NFL history to record a 200+ yard and 4+ touchdown game, and the first to do so on fewer than 22 carries. His 238 rushing yards were the most by any player for a single game for the 2018 season. Henry was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week due to his spectacular performance.

2019 Season: Rushing Title

In the 2019 season opener against the Cleveland Browns, Henry rushed 19 times for 84 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for a 75-yard touchdown. During Week 2 against the Colts, he rushed 15 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks later against the Atlanta Falcons, Henry had his first 100-yard game of the season when he rushed for 100 yards on 27 carries in a road victory. In the next game against the Buffalo Bills, he rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown. After a season-low 28 yards in a Week 6 shutout loss to the Denver Broncos, Henry sank to 12th in the league in rushing. Henry responded with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown in a victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7. During Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers, Henry rushed 13 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown in the road loss. In the next game against the Chiefs, he finished with 188 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Henry won the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his efforts. During a Jaguars rematch in Week 12 after a Week 11 bye, Henry had a 74-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, finishing the victory with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns along with one reception for 16 yards. In the next game, a rematch against the Colts, he rushed 26 times for 149 yards and a touchdown in the road victory. During Week 14 against the Oakland Raiders, Henry ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the road victory. During the regular-season finale against the Texans, Henry finished with 211 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Titans won and made it to the playoffs as a wild-card team.

With the Titans finishing the season 9-7, the team narrowly clinched a wild-card spot for the #6 seed. In the wild-card round against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, which was played on his 26th birthday, Henry rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown in the first half, finishing with 182 yards and a 22-yard reception in the road victory. Henry became the first rushing champion with a 100-yard playoff game since Terrell Davis, the first to win a playoff game since LaDainian Tomlinson, and the second Titan with multiple post-season 100+ rushing games. He also broke his own franchise record for most yards-from-scrimmage with 204. During the Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens, Henry rushed 30 times for 195 yards and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Davis in the road victory. He became the second player in NFL history with three postseason games with at least 150 rushing yards, joining Terrell Davis. In addition, he became the only player with at least 175 rushing yards in consecutive games. In the AFC Championship against the Chiefs, Henry was mostly held in check.

Read also: Waterville's Colby College

2020 Season: 2,000-Yard Season and Offensive Player of the Year

Despite leading the league in rushing yards for most of the first four weeks of the 2020 season, Henry was limited to no more than 3.7 yards per carry for all but one of them. These struggles ended in the week 6 game against the Texans, Henry finished with 212 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards, and two touchdowns (including a 94-yard rushing touchdown). During the game, Henry became the eighth running back in NFL history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards. This also made him the only player to have 2,000 yard rushing seasons in high school, college, and the NFL. In addition to his 2,027 rushing yards, Henry established career highs in carries (378), yards-per-carry (5.4) and rushing touchdowns (17). He was named the 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

2021 Season

Henry began the season slowly, held to only 58 rushing yards as the Titans lost to the Arizona Cardinals. During Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Henry finished with 182 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards, and three rushing touchdowns as the Titans won in overtime. During a Week 8 win against the Colts, Henry suffered a Jones fracture that would end up sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season. He was placed on injured reserve on November 1.

2022 Season

In Week 9, against the Chiefs, Henry had 17 carries for 115 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the overtime loss. In Week 11, against the Green Bay Packers, Henry had 132 scrimmage yards and one rushing touchdown.

2023 Season

In Week 3, Henry had 151 rushing yards on 25 attempts and two touchdowns in a win against the Cowboys.

Baltimore Ravens

Henry joined the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 4 against the Bills, Henry had 199 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries with an 87-yard rushing score on the Ravens’ first offensive play, which was the longest run in franchise history. He also had 10 receiving yards and a touchdown on three receptions. In Week 5 against the Bengals, Henry scored his 100th overall career touchdown, while also reaching the mark of 10,000 career rushing yards later in the game, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to achieve the feat.

Style of Play

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighing 252 pounds (114 kg), Henry is much larger than most running backs and has a frame comparable to that of a linebacker. Henry is a "power back", using his large size and strength to overpower defenders, and stiff arm to break tackles. In 2020, he accumulated 1,073 yards after contact, over 300 yards more than any running back in the league, and led the league in broken tackles with 34. He couples that strength and size with surprising speed and agility relative to his size. Henry is adept at using the stiff-arm to repel defenders, with it being described as his "signature". As a power back, his playing style contrasts with those of smaller, so-called "scat backs", who have greater elusiveness due to their faster ability to change directions.

Personal Life

Throughout his high school career at Yulee, Henry wore No. 2, later explaining that he chose the number because he plays football for two reasons: God and his family. At Alabama, he wore No. 27 during his freshman and sophomore seasons, as wide receiver DeAndrew White held No. 2. After White declared for the 2015 NFL draft, Henry switched back to No. Upon being drafted by the Tennessee Titans, Henry was required to change his number again due to an NFL rule at the time that restricted running backs to numbers between 20 and 49. He selected No. Henry has been in a relationship with Adrianna Rivas since 2016.

tags: #derrick #henry #college