In an age where high school athletes can become Internet sensations overnight, teenage YouTube stars are no longer uncommon.
But when a 6-foot-4, 222-pound rising high school junior proves he is one of the most athletic prep football players in the nation, people still listen.
Yulee High running back Derrick Henry has taken the recruiting landscape by storm after a sophomore season in which he had 303 carries for 2,689 yards and 38 touchdowns.
“I’m just a one-cut back,” he said. “If I get one cut, then I’m gone.”
His sophomore highlight reel proves his point. The video shows a towering speedster rumbling through overmatched defenses, breaking tackles with ease and consistently outrunning defensive backs en route to touchdown after touchdown.
But while his on-field prowess has gotten the 2013 prospect verbal offers from Florida, Florida State and Georgia, it was his performance at a March combine in Orlando that garnered him an invitation to Nike’s “The Opening” showcase last week.
In Beaverton, Ore., Henry became a national finalist in the SPARQ Rating National Championship, finishing fourth in the finals after running a 4.45 40-yard-dash, registering a 38.5-inch vertical jump and tossing a six-pound ball 41 feet from his knees. He was part of the Alpha Talon team that won the weekend’s 7-on-7 tournament.
“It was my first time going out there, so I just wanted to enjoy the experience and take it all in,” Henry said.
While it is very early in his college recruitment, Henry, a life-long Gators fan, said UF is his leader. Playing in a pro-style offense at Yulee, the running back likes the addition of Charlie Weis and is building a strong bond with Florida’s coaching staff.
“I was very impressed,” Henry said of his last meeting with UF coaches. “I went and talked to those guys about the offense and how they want to use me if I come there. They broke down my film and told me what I need to work on and what they expect out of me.”
Henry admits he needs to improve on blitz pickup and catching the ball out of the backfield. However, he scoffs at colleges who say his size would be better utilized at linebacker.
“People have their opinions, but that’s just what people do,” he said. “I’m not even going to listen to it. I know I’m a running back, so it doesn’t really faze me.”
With two years of high school football left, Henry is relaxed and having fun with the recruiting process because he knows it only happens once. He doesn’t plan to orally commit anywhere until his senior season but already has his eyes set on next year’s “The Opening.”
“They’re inviting me again,” he said. “Next year it’s going to be business, so I’ll have to go and do what needs to be done.”
Yulee High halfback Derrick Henry hasn’t played a down as a junior, but he holds multiple verbal offers from top schools.
