Simply put, running back Emmanuel Henderson is the best athlete on the football field.
There's no debate, and it took one breakout year of varsity football at Geneva County High School (Hartford, Ala.) for scouts to consider him among the very best players of the entire 2022 recruiting class.
Henderson slots in as the No. 1 running back in the nation and 28th overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. The standout tailback and kick returner is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds ahead of his senior season, and he is churning out highlights at an all-time rate.
The five-star recruit accounted for 3,247 total yards and 45 total touchdowns as a sophomore. Those numbers include 1,996 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns, and six kickoff return touchdowns — That final number tied the AHSAA state record.
Yeah, he's sick.
Following a similarly impressive 2020 for the Geneva County Bulldogs (1,449 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns), Henderson made an important decision regarding his college football career.
In March 2021, he committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Nick Saban's squad is gunning for yet another College Football Playoff appearance, and Henderson will soon get his chance to shine in the national spotlight.
Emmanuel Henderson Commits to Alabama
#RollTide https://t.co/mAjPjlAk4y
— emmanuel henderson (@emmanuelhende17) March 16, 2021
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In addition to Alabama football, Emmanuel Henderson had offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
The running back is the second five-star commit in Alabama's 2022 recruiting class, joining quarterback Ty Simpson.
He was recruited primarily by Charles Kelly and has has a great relationship with the staff.
Keeping close contact has been difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to those restrictions, unofficial visits were hard to come by.
RB Emmanuel Henderson Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDm-6QS_0aY
Emmanuel Henderson's already received an invite to the 2022 Under Armour All-American Game, and for good reason.
Once he fills out his frame and finishes growing, the galloping runner is going to be a matchup nightmare facing linebackers and defensive backs in space.
Geneva County head coach Jim Bob Striplin, a former walk-on quarterback of the Auburn Tigers, aligned Henderson's skillset to former Florida State wide receiver and Heisman Trophy candidate Peter Warrick:
"It is a rare occasion you have a kid like this. One of his greatest assets is his vision. He sees what is happening in front of him two steps before everybody else does, so he already has a mental advantage on people who are trying to tackle him," Striplin told The Dothan Eagle.
"The thing that separates himself from anybody else who can do that is he can actually get to the spot on the field that he needs to get to because he has such a great burst of speed and the quickness on top of that to elude tacklers that are trying to corral him."
Still not convinced? Henderson is an incredible basketball player, too.
LOOK OUT!
Geneva County sophomore Emmanuel Henderson (@emmanuelhende17) takes flight! pic.twitter.com/xv8AIbBHRw
— Ryan Hennessy (@RyanHennessyTV) February 15, 2020
Congratulations to Emmanuel Henderson @emmanuelhende17 for being invited to play in the Alabama High School Athletic Association - AHSAA North-South Allstar game on July 20th in Montgomery! pic.twitter.com/3tCCsILskq
— Geneva County HS Football & Basketball (@GC_FBall_BBall) April 19, 2021
Expect the name Emmanuel Henderson to flash across your timeline a lot once he arrives in college football.
This kid has the raw talent to be really, really special, and reaching the NFL Draft is certainly a possibility.
This post was originally published on July 28, 2020 before updating.
