Will Henry

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

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.”

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

ind

 

Henry hopes to catch on with NU

 

 

 

By Mike Babock

For The Independent

 

LINCOLN -- Practice had finished for the Nebraska football team Wednesday afternoon. Coach Bill Callahan stayed, answering specific questions from a couple of reporters, one-on-one.

 

At the far end of the Hawks Championship Center, specialists ran sprints. The only other players in the near-empty building were Zac Lee, Will Henry and Xavier Rucker.

 

Henry and Rucker were catching passes from Lee, as they regularly do after practice.

 

Finally, Henry broke away and approached a reporter who had requested an interview. Might as well do this now, he told the reporter. He was going to be a while.

 

A couple of other reporters came over to join in.

 

Rucker left. Lee went and sat down to wait for Henry.

 

"I try to be the last one off the field, keep catching passes to get better," Henry said.

 

Henry is a freshman wide receiver from El Paso, Texas. He redshirted in the fall. Now he's competing at the X position, working with a group that includes veterans Maurice Purify, Nate Swift and Todd Peterson as well as Menelik Holt and Chris Brooks, both of whom will be sophomores.

 

The X receivers are the big bodies. And Henry is the tallest, at 6-foot-5. According to the 2006 media guide, he and former Cornhusker Wilson Thomas (1998) are Nebraska's tallest wide receiver recruits since at least 1974, a bit of trivia that underscores a Callahan recruiting emphasis.

 

Nebraska's offense places a premium on big wide receivers, and there can never be enough. The X receivers are an "impressive" group, Callahan said prior to the start of spring practice. "We just have to find more creative ways of getting them all on the field at one time."

 

Henry figures in order to get on the field he has to put in extra work, hence the extended practice. Typically, he stays for at least 20 minutes, he said. "But right now I'll be here 'til whoever's left. The last people leave then I'll be finished. As long as I can get someone to throw, I'll be out here."

 

Finding someone to throw hasn't been a problem. Lee, a transfer from San Francisco City College, is recovering from a knee injury and can't practice. So he is always willing to stay. And before the start of spring practice, Henry often caught passes from freshman quarterback Patrick Witt.

 

"I'm putting in extra work besides practice time just to get myself better," said Henry. "It wasn't something I really did much back in high school. I always worked out on my own, like separately, but once I got here, I realized I needed to work on my pass catching more, catching with my hands.

 

"The more you catch, the better you become at catching, so I never stop."

 

In the fall, Henry caught passes from Sam Keller on the scout team and got bigger and stronger. He was listed at 195, though he might have been a little lighter. He has put on "at least 20 pounds since I first got here back in the summer," he said. Even so, his body fat is "less than 4 percent."

 

His squat lift has increased "at least 100 pounds," he said. "And who knows how much (increase) in bench (press). So, I mean, just all around, it's definitely helped."

 

He also ran "really well" on the team's timing day, according to Callahan.

 

"He's really put a lot into the off-season program," Callahan said in mid-March. "He made quite an investment, has worked hard to improve his skills. It'll be nice to get him in the mix."

 

Size and physical skills - his vertical jump is 36.5 inches - aren't enough, however. By his own estimation, he has made great strides in learning the offense since the fall.

 

The redshirt was a benefit in that way, too. "When I came in, of course, I really didn't know the playbook because, I mean, it's an NFL playbook. There's so much to learn," he said. "Right now, I'm just trying to learn the playbook and get myself to where I can contribute the right way."

 

He knows about 90 percent of the offense at this point, Henry said. "Right now, I'm not where I want to be. But I know as long as I keep working it will always happen."

 

His work this spring hasn't ended with everyone else's.

 

He would be the first one on the practice field, too, except that "the punters come out 40 minutes before practice and do what they do," he said. "It just proves I'm working hard."

 

And "hard work always pays off, no matter what."

[DJR313]

Kid sounds like he has a great attitude and the drive to get better. I expect some good things from him in the future.

[bethelbacker]

Yea for the kid to bust his ass like that, putting on 20-30 pounds but keeping the speed, I'm very impressed with his work ethic. Yet another potential threat in our stable of recievers (which at this point is by far the strength of the team). I'm hoping this kid gets a real chance at cracking the lineup, at least in some four reciever sets.

[huskers1]

I understand that the x receivers are supposed to be the bigger receivers but it seems to me that most of there more talented receivers are log jammed at that position. Purify, Pederson, Swift, Holt, Henry, and Brooks are all at that position and only Nunn, Hardy, and maybe Erickson are at the other receiver spot. Both Nunn and Hardy are seniors, I wouldnt mind seeing Brooks moved over. Paul is a bigger receiver as well so does that mean that he will be put in the x category as well? They say that they want the faster receivers at z or whatever, but I think Brooks runs a 4.5 or 4.4 or something like that. I am just trying to figure out ways to get all of them some more playing time and right now with both holt and brooks sophmores it seems one of them is going to get less playing time when it doesnt seem necessary. At least there is some difference in years for holt and henry.

[Alex 4.0]

I have been saying since the day he signed he will be a huge receiver for us, no pun intended. The kid has size and athletic ability, something that we have needed in our WR's since we adopted a new offense. This guy is gonna make some big time catches for us....this year.

[Hunter94]

hm, i don't know about Brooks, seems he has a lot to prove and an attitude to get adjusted, but maybe he has come around in the off season? still i think it will be difficult for him to find playing time.

[chuckd]

hm, i don't know about Brooks, seems he has a lot to prove and an attitude to get adjusted, but maybe he has come around in the off season? still i think it will be difficult for him to find playing time.

 

I think Brooks has made the adjustment in attitude and will contribute a lot in the coming years. Athletically, he was one of our better recievers two years ago, but strength-wise he was sorely lacking. I think I read somewhere that his high school didn't have much for a weight-program and he hadn't really lifted much coming into college, that obviously set him back. I think that him willing to take a redshirt last year showed that he is willing to make himself better and is committed to being here. If he had simply wanted the easy way out he could have left after the '05 season and went somewhere where he didn't have to work as hard to see the field. He can see the talent we have brought in at reciever and by all accounts has put in the time and effort to make an impact and now it is up to him to beat out the other receivers.

[huskers1]

Ya I also think that he has already had his attitude adjustement. From what I have heard he has dedicated himself to the weight room and was really tearing it up on the scout team last year with keller and henry. The main thing I am saying is the x's are supposed to be our big bodied receivers and I think he is probably about 6'2 200 lbs. Thats not really all that big, especially when hes being compared to henry 6'5, holt 6'3-6'4, pederson 6'4, and purify 6'4. Paul is about the same size and has a little better speed, so are they going to put Paul with all the other x's or let him take the other receiver position and if so what are the reasons? He has comparable size and speed, so what is the difference? I just want all these guys to play or at least be given a better shot then where all of our "talented" receivers are all fighting for the same spot, then there are about two other receivers in on one rotation at the other receiver spot, it just doesnt make sense to me.

[StuckinChicago]

Too much store is put into the x vs. z thing... With the playbook we have, we could get all five x receivers on the field at once if we wanted too, so Im not worried about any sort of talent log jam. If you are the best players, you are gonna get on the field, someway, somehow.

[huskers1]

If that is the case I just dont understand how Erickson could get on the field. You cant tell me that there isnt a better guy for the job than him. If he is just in there for blocking then there has to be a better blocker and he cant be in there for receiving.

[Eric the Red]

Tough to say where Henry sits right now. Will he explode onto the field or sit most of the season. If the latter, does he get pissed and leave.

 

Same with Chris Brooks

[pigsonthewing]

Tough to say where Henry sits right now. Will he explode onto the field or sit most of the season. If the latter, does he get pissed and leave.

 

Same with Chris Brooks

good question, but if he stays with his convictions he will fight for his right to be on the field. thats just my opinion from what i read in the articles.

[Hawkeyehusker]

I don't think Henry or Brooks will leave. With the WCO and a great QB like Keller throwing the ball our WR's will become more potent weapons. Last season our running backs were our most valuable weapons on the field. Not only did they roll up lots of yardage on running plays but they also caught a lot of balls. This season I think we will put up more yards in the air and hopefully Sam will be spreading the ball around. Delivering the mail as Callahan likes to put it. This is the season for our WR's to shine. Too bad we don't have a couple of go to TE's to round off the offense. This season that's just about the only thing we are missing on offense.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Kid has a great work ethic from what I'm reading and I hope he can keep it up because your never too good to learn anymore.