The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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66 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2019 COMMITMENT PROFILE F rankfort (Ill.) Lin- coln Way East four- star all-purpose back AJ Henning already had an offer from Michigan before Josh Gattis was hired, but he vaulted up the board once the new offensive coordi- nator started evaluat- ing who he wanted. Henning also became a wide receiver recruit f o r t h e Wo l v e r i n e s at that time and may be labeled as U-M's top overall target on o f f e n s e . T h e 5 - 1 0 , 183-pounder — the No. 2 recruit in Illinois, and the No. 3 all-pur- pose back and No. 84 overall player nation- ally per Rivals — had more than 30 options to choose from, but it basically came down to Michigan and Notre Dame with Georgia and Penn State pursu- ing aggressively as well. Michigan winning the head-to- head battle against the Irish is a big deal given Gattis' plans for his of- fense. "They want me primarily as an H-back," Henning revealed. "Coach Gattis allows the H position to play the slot, be in the backfield and play the one-receiver position. "It's a perfect fit for me, because I am used all over the field for my high school, which will make for the perfect match. It should be a smooth transition." Rivals Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt also sees Henning fitting in very well in that type of role for the Wolverines. "Henning has come up through the ranks as a running back, but Michigan plans to use him at slot receiver," Helmholdt said. "Hav- ing a running back background is a plus when moving out to receiver because backs have a better under- standing of how to take a hit and how to avoid hits than receivers do. "Combine that with Henning's explosive- ness and agility, and you can see the upside that has earned him a spot in the Rivals100." Michigan did a great job convincing Hen- ning that he was a must-get part of their 2020 class. Helmholdt watched the recruiting battle play out over the last year or more and isn't nec- essarily surprised that U-M won — but other schools, especially Notre Dame, certainly gave the versatile athlete something to think about. "It looked like Henning's recruit- ment was going to be over in April or early May once Michigan took the lead following the first of two spring visits to Ann Arbor, but other schools made it interesting," he ex- plained. "Georgia, Notre Dame and Penn State all took their shots with official visits. "Michigan needed that last official visit to seal the deal, and the Wolver- ines delivered." As a sophomore, Henning helped Lincoln-Way East win the 2017 Class 8A state title by rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the champi- onship game. After missing the first four games of his junior year, Hen- ning was in and out of the lineup after recovering from hip surgery. He rushed 29 times for 204 yards with 12 receptions for 271 yards over the course of the season. Once fully healthy in May, Hen- ning finished fourth in the Class 3A 100-meter dash with a time of 10.73 seconds. — Brandon Brown Wolverines Land Versatile Offensive Weapon AJ Henning FILM EVALUATION Strengths: AJ Henning really shines as a receiver and in the open field once the ball is in his hands, hence why he was arguably offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' top target for the #SpeedInSpace movement. He is listed as an all-purpose back by Rivals, but was recruited as a slot receiver by Michigan, which speaks to his overall versatility and athleticism as an offen- sive playmaker. Areas Of Improvement: Durability has been somewhat of an issue for Hen- ning, so it'll be important for him to stay healthy as a senior and obviously once he gets to Ann Arbor. It is all good if you can run a 4.4, catch well out of the backfield or the slot, and take kicks and punts back, but you can't do any of those things in street clothes on the sidelines. Michigan Player Comparison: It's a little tricky to predict exactly how Henning will look in the new Michigan offense, but as a high school prospect he's pretty similar to current/former Wolverine Chris Evans. A lot of people thought that Evans should play slot receiver in college, but as a three-star athlete out of Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis Michigan liked him as a running back. Evans arrived at Michigan as a 5-11, 200-pounder once he realized he was go- ing to be playing running back, but he was Henning-like as a high school senior at 181 pounds. Both have a lot of ability out of the backfield in the passing game and can be electric after the catch or any time they get their hands on the ball. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Rivals rates Henning as a four-star talent, the No. 2 player in Illinois, and the No. 3 all-purpose back and No. 84 overall prospect in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM