BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA
All-American
LJS
Freshman receiver works after practice to improve
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 12:24:34 am CDT
Will Henry stays late after each Nebraska spring practice, catching footballs from whomever he can recruit to throw them.
Zac Lee. Patrick Witt. Heck, a custodian or sportswriter might suffice.
“If you can throw good,” Henry said, smiling.
And if you can’t? Well, maybe you can just stand and count how many passes Henry catches. Henry doesn’t know, although he estimates it’s more than 200 each day. Sometimes it’s before practice, but most tosses come long after his teammates have departed Hawks Championship Center for the day.
“I’ll be here ’til whoever’s left,” said Henry, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound redshirted freshman. “The last people leave, then I’ll be finished. As long as I can get someone to throw, I’ll be out here.”
The goal, of course, is for Henry to become the best wide receiver he can be. Just being tall — Henry is the tallest receiver on Nebraska’s roster — isn’t enough. Not when the depth chart lists names such as Maurice Purify, Nate Swift and Todd Peterson alongside yours.
“Any football player who loves the game wants to start, but I know that on a football team it’s 11 men, so you’ve got to fill your role,” said Henry, who’s playing at X receiver. “So I’m going to play my hardest, and as long as I’m getting better … my goals, I keep them personal, because people sometimes will say I’m cocky or overconfident. But personally, you’ve got to work hard.”
Henry, a native of El Paso, Texas, discovered that when he arrived on campus last fall. Henry weighed only 190 pounds. The playbook, almost as much.
On top of that, Henry made another realization.
“I needed to work on my pass catching more,” Henry said, “catching with my hands.”
To that end, coaches suggested Henry stay after practice and work on catching passes … around an aluminum pole. Try using your body to catch a pass when there’s a pole in front of you. Doesn’t work.
Same goes for catching a pass in the traffic of Big 12 Conference defensive backs.
“There’s not going to be people that are 5 yards away from you,” Henry said. “They’re going to be right there on you, so you’re really going to want to catch with your hands.”
As for the other needed improvements? Henry has gained 20 pounds, yet has kept his body fat to 4 percent. He said the muscle mass has helped improve his strength — his squat has increased by by at least 100 pounds.
Henry says he’s also more familiar with the playbook.
“I pretty much know all the routes and all the formations and motions,” Henry said, “so it’s just being refreshed.”
Head coach Bill Callahan said in a pre-spring interview that he’s excited about Henry’s potential.
“He’s really put a lot into the offseason program,” Callahan said. “He made quite an investment, has worked hard to improve his skills. We’ll see. He did a nice job on the scout team. It’ll be nice to get him into the mix.”
Henry, who also received scholarship offers from Missouri, New Mexico State and UTEP, had a breakout season as a high school senior, catching 52 passes after having 16 receptions as a junior.
He keeps that in mind as he looks for playing time this fall after sitting last season out as a redshirt.
“For a receiver, this is the perfect offense,” Henry said, “and once you understand it, once you’re able to read coverages and know your routes all the time, you can just flourish in it.
“I definitely think you can go from not having a season one year to just understanding the offense on a totally different level and then breaking out.”
Freshman receiver works after practice to improve
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 - 12:24:34 am CDT
Will Henry stays late after each Nebraska spring practice, catching footballs from whomever he can recruit to throw them.
Zac Lee. Patrick Witt. Heck, a custodian or sportswriter might suffice.
“If you can throw good,” Henry said, smiling.
And if you can’t? Well, maybe you can just stand and count how many passes Henry catches. Henry doesn’t know, although he estimates it’s more than 200 each day. Sometimes it’s before practice, but most tosses come long after his teammates have departed Hawks Championship Center for the day.
“I’ll be here ’til whoever’s left,” said Henry, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound redshirted freshman. “The last people leave, then I’ll be finished. As long as I can get someone to throw, I’ll be out here.”
The goal, of course, is for Henry to become the best wide receiver he can be. Just being tall — Henry is the tallest receiver on Nebraska’s roster — isn’t enough. Not when the depth chart lists names such as Maurice Purify, Nate Swift and Todd Peterson alongside yours.
“Any football player who loves the game wants to start, but I know that on a football team it’s 11 men, so you’ve got to fill your role,” said Henry, who’s playing at X receiver. “So I’m going to play my hardest, and as long as I’m getting better … my goals, I keep them personal, because people sometimes will say I’m cocky or overconfident. But personally, you’ve got to work hard.”
Henry, a native of El Paso, Texas, discovered that when he arrived on campus last fall. Henry weighed only 190 pounds. The playbook, almost as much.
On top of that, Henry made another realization.
“I needed to work on my pass catching more,” Henry said, “catching with my hands.”
To that end, coaches suggested Henry stay after practice and work on catching passes … around an aluminum pole. Try using your body to catch a pass when there’s a pole in front of you. Doesn’t work.
Same goes for catching a pass in the traffic of Big 12 Conference defensive backs.
“There’s not going to be people that are 5 yards away from you,” Henry said. “They’re going to be right there on you, so you’re really going to want to catch with your hands.”
As for the other needed improvements? Henry has gained 20 pounds, yet has kept his body fat to 4 percent. He said the muscle mass has helped improve his strength — his squat has increased by by at least 100 pounds.
Henry says he’s also more familiar with the playbook.
“I pretty much know all the routes and all the formations and motions,” Henry said, “so it’s just being refreshed.”
Head coach Bill Callahan said in a pre-spring interview that he’s excited about Henry’s potential.
“He’s really put a lot into the offseason program,” Callahan said. “He made quite an investment, has worked hard to improve his skills. We’ll see. He did a nice job on the scout team. It’ll be nice to get him into the mix.”
Henry, who also received scholarship offers from Missouri, New Mexico State and UTEP, had a breakout season as a high school senior, catching 52 passes after having 16 receptions as a junior.
He keeps that in mind as he looks for playing time this fall after sitting last season out as a redshirt.
“For a receiver, this is the perfect offense,” Henry said, “and once you understand it, once you’re able to read coverages and know your routes all the time, you can just flourish in it.
“I definitely think you can go from not having a season one year to just understanding the offense on a totally different level and then breaking out.”
