Derrick Henry
Derrick Henry Jr (born July 17, 1994 in Yulee, Florida) is a running back for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.
Henry attended Yulee High School in Nassau County, Florida and starred on the football, basketball and track teams. As a running back for the Yulee Hornets he amassed 12,124 yards in four seasons, surpassing the record set by Ken Hall from Sugar Land High School in Texas in 1953.
Henry was recognized by ESPN as their top-ranked athlete graduating high school in 2013. He initially committed to play for the University of Georgia, but switched to Alabama in September 2012.
As a freshman, Henry played third-string behind T. J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake. During the regular season he got 36 carries, amassing 382 yards with three touchdowns. In Alabama's 45-31 lost to Oklahoma in the 2014 Sugar Bowl he had 8 carries for 100 yards and one score, and added a second touchdown on a 61-yard pass from A. J. McCarron.
In his second season Henry shared running back duties with Yeldon, earning more snaps after Kenyan Drake suffered a serious leg fracture against Ole Miss on October 4. He finished the season with 990 yards and 11 touchdowns on 172 runs along with 5 passes caught for another 133 yards.
In his junior year, Henry was used as the featured back in a run-heavy offense. Through the 12-game regular season he accounted for 1,797 yards and 22 touchdowns on 295 carries, and added 97 yards on 10 receptions. He outplayed LSU's Leonard Fournette to emerge as a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy.
References
- Schoettler, Jim (December 22, 2012) "For Derrick Henry and Yulee, a bittersweet goodbye." The Florida Times-Union
- "Derrick Henry" (December 3, 2015) Wikipedia - accessed December 4, 2015
External links
- Derrick Henry on Twitter.com
- Derrick Henry at rolltide.com