Henry won a Heisman Trophy with the Crimson Tide and remains one of the best running backs in the NFL.Derrick Henry, the former Alabama running back, made a lasting impact on the Crimson Tide football program, winning the 2015 Heisman Trophy and a national championship with the team.
Now a standout in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, Henry played under the legendary Nick Saban at Alabama. Saban shared a memorable story about Henry’s early days as a pass blocker when he first arrived at Alabama during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor.
“Derrick Henry, alright, so he’s a freshman,” Saban recalled. “We were doing a team pass drill, and he didn’t know anything about pass protection or blocking at all. The offensive coordinator was really on him for missing a block, and I felt sorry for him, so I decided to give him some encouragement. Henry looked up at me and said, ‘Coach, I don’t know anything about this. In high school, all they did was hand me the ball and told me to run. That’s all I know. So can you please have some patience?'”
Henry went on to win the Heisman, the Maxwell Award, and a national championship, cementing his place as one of the best in college football. This serves as a reminder that even one of the greatest running backs in recent history wasn’t perfect from the start.
Leave a Reply