Where did Derrick Henry go to College?

Being a running back in the NFL is not what it used to be a few years ago. In today’s game of American football, running backs are not valued as highly as they once were and in the passing game which has taken over nowadays, it is even harder for the rushers to make a name for themselves.

Yet, despite the odds being stacked against them, the league still has its fair share of quality backs who can win games any given night with their spectacular performances. One of these names is the current Baltimore Ravens running back, Derrick Henry. An eight-year veteran in the league as of 2024, Henry has proven what he can do on the turf with the ball in his hands.

With a 99-yard rush which is a tied NFL record in itself, Henry has a little over 9,500 rushing yards to date to go along with 90 rushing touchdowns. The big and brutal runner is tough to bring down as he manages to power through the defense almost at will. While he has several accolades to his name in the NFL, he has achieved similar standards in his college career as well.

Derrick Henry College

Henry decided to join the University of Alabama to play college football with one of the best football programs in the nation. He had many other offers from top universities such as USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, and more.

Henry’s true freshman year in 2013 saw him get limited action as he was third on the Alabama Crimson Tide football team’s pecking order. Even so, in just 35 attempts, he rushed for 382 yards for an average of 10.6 yards per carry.

In his sophomore year, he got much more playing time as he shared the backfield duties on an equal basis. His 172 carries resulted in 990 rushing yards to go along with 11 rushing touchdowns.

Henry’s junior year was the most prolific of all as he was one of the driving forces due to which Alabama won the CFP National Championship in 2015. His 2,219 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground also earned him the Heisman Trophy along with many other accolades such as the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award, Unanimous All-American, SEC Offensive Player of the Year as well as being named to the First-team All-SEC.

Derrick Henry High School

As a native of Yulee, Florida, Henry attended Yulee High School. He was a multi-sport athlete as he played not only football but also basketball and track. Henry was so dominant in his high school as a running back that in four years he had over 12,000 rushing yards and a shocking 153 touchdowns.

While Henry’s numbers were truly great every year, his senior year was out of the ordinary. He finished his last year of high school football with 4,261 yards and 55 touchdowns. When it was all said and done, ESPN rated him as a five-star recruit, but more importantly with his contributions in other sports as well, the Florida native was named as the number 1 athlete in the country.