Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
5 2 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hen Penn State picked up a surprise commitment May 8 from tight end Matt Henderson, it was the culmination of a whirlwind recruitment. A native of Powhatan, Va., Hender- son had earned his offer from the Nit- tany Lions only two weeks earlier, but he decided quickly that PSU was the school for him. Having visited last Oc- tober and again in January, the 6-foot- 5, 208-pound prospect knew he didn't have to drag this out. "Penn State has always been one of my dream schools as a kid. My parents both grew up in Pennsylvania, so in a way, I have a connection up north," Henderson said. "Penn State always has great teams and fantastic players. I think they can help develop me to be- come the best player I can be." Henderson finished his junior season at Powhatan High with 66 catches for 1,042 yards and 14 touchdowns, but he didn't receive his four-star rating from On3 scouts until after his commitment to the Nittany Lions. On3 lists him as the No. 20 tight end nationally and No. 10 prospect in Virginia. He's got a three- star grade in the On3 Industry Ranking since only one other major recruiting service has scouted him. While tight ends coach Ty Howle only recently extended an offer, his re- lationship with Henderson goes back m o n t h s. T h ro u g h o u t t h a t p e r i o d , Henderson said Howle and head coach James Franklin were both open and honest about the growth they wanted to see from him. One of those key areas was proving that he could develop the proper blocking techniques after pri- marily playing wide receiver last season. Not only did Henderson reach those goals, by all accounts he exceeded where the staff expected him to be at this point. "Coach Howle and Coach Franklin have been amazing through the process and extremely transparent. I can't thank them enough for their honesty and be- lief in me," Henderson said. "Although it may seem a bit early, I like to think that when you know, you know. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Henderson said he appreciated the staff's willingness to critique his per- formances. He said the benchmarks that Penn State laid out for him provided a useful guide as he strived to improve. "They were different in the fact that they had expectations for me to reach, such as weight and blocking techniques," he said. "That was very helpful for me. Once I worked toward them and ulti- mately performed well enough, they gave me an offer. "I also believe that Coach Howle and Coach Franklin really found more in me than just a football player. They were in- trigued by my family and my academics, which was really amazing to hear. The culture is extremely strong, and every- one seems to care about the best interest of each and every player." Not only is Henderson an honor roll student, he currently has a 4.6 grade- point average and is the class vice presi- dent at his school. That made Penn State and its culture all the more appealing to Henderson and his family. "The academic piece does play a big role because, at some point, football does come to an end," Henderson said. "Obvi- ously, playing at the highest level is the goal, but if that doesn't pan out, then the academic piece is much more important. Penn State is a great fit on that end as well." ■ Virginia Tight End Makes A Quick Decision Following Offer RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Henderson caught 66 passes for 1,042 yards and 14 touch- downs during his junior season at Powhatan (Va.) High. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Matt Henderson has a lot going for him as a tight end prospect with a number of positive indicators. When you turn on the film, his movement skills and overall coordination really jump out. This is a nimble, fluid athlete. He's essentially a big receiver to this point at the high school level, and he really moves well for his size — 6-foot-5, about 210 pounds. He has the frame to continue adding weight. You look at the fluidity, his ability to change direction, along with his ball skills — we consistently see him high-pointing, coming down with catches in traffic, and just winning in tight windows, which is a key skill you need to have as a tight end. As the skill level increases, winning in contested situations is key. He has strong hands and tracking skills and just the overall coordination to be really good there. The run-after-catch ability is also really encouraging. … From a pass-catching perspective, he looks like he has the ability to be a mismatch in the passing game. He's going to need to continue getting bigger and stronger. It's encouraging that he has the kind of frame that looks like it'll be able to put on weight and [allow him] to develop into a more complete, every-down type of tight end. If you look at the receiving skills and athleticism, he certainly stacks up well in the tight end group nationally. — Charles Power, On3 director of scouting and rankings P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N COMMITMENT PROFILE MATT HENDERSON