As a football fan, what is your first thought when you hear the name “Derrick Henry?”
Is it his three collegiate seasons at Alabama, where he rushed for a 3,591 yards and 42 touchdowns and won the 2015 Heisman Trophy? What about his seven seasons (and counting) with the Tennessee Titans, a span in which he is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and has led the NFL in rushing twice?
When asking people from Florida what they think of when they hear Henry’s name, odds are you will hear a different answer entirely – one that references his high school days. Why you ask? Well, it’s quite simple – Derrick Henry is likely the greatest running back to ever play high school football in the state of Florida.
At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Henry simply seemed like a man among boys at times during his prep career at Yulee High School. Rated as a five-star prospect in the 2013 class, the Alabama commit was considered the nation’s No. 1 ATH according to the 247Sports Composite, as well as the No. 12 overall player nationally.
Of course those rankings don’t definitively set Henry apart from some of Florida’s top players who came before or after the five-star to hold the mantra of the state’s greatest running back. What does, however, give Henry the advantage over almost anyone, past or present, is his on-field production, as the former Yulee Hornet was truly special for four seasons with the North Florida program.
From 2009-12 Henry rushed for 12,124 yards and 153 touchdowns on 1,397 attempts, averaging 8.7 yards per carry and 252.6 rushing yards per game. Henry’s career rushing yardage to this day ranks first in Florida high school history, and he is a record holder in a few other statistical categories as well.
A look at each of Derrick Henry’s individual seasons at Yulee only magnifies just how good he was in high school.
As a freshman in the 2009 season, Henry immediately put himself on the map in a big way, rushing for 2,465 yards and 26 touchdowns. Carrying the ball 313 times as one of the centerpieces of the Hornets offense, Henry averaged 7.9 yards per carry and 224.1 yards per game.
Henry got the same number of carries as a sophomore in 2010, but he saw a rise in production, rushing for 2,788 yards and 38 touchdowns. As a junior, he posted similar numbers, rushing for 2,610 yards and 34 touchdowns to set the stage for a memorable senior season – one of the greatest the state has ever seen.
As a senior in 2012, Henry carried the ball 462 times, resulting in a single-season state record of 4,261 yards, along with 55 touchdowns. He averaged 9.2 yards per carry and 327.8 rushing yards per game, with no performance bigger than his 510-yard outing in a 45-28 win over Andrew Jackson. That total was a Florida record that stood until last season.
In 12 games as a senior, Henry rushed for at least 200 yards in all but one game, recorded four performances of greater than 400 yards, and had eight games in which he rushed for 300+ yards.
As expected, the accolades and honors continued to roll in for Henry in 2012, with the Yulee senior receiving awards including the Maxwell Football Club and MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors, First Team All-State, First Team All-American, and more.
Following that 2012 season, Henry of course went on to shine collegiately at Alabama for three seasons, rushing for 3,591 yards and 42 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide. He became the Tide’s second-ever Heisman Trophy winner as a junior in 2015 and he was selected with the No. 45 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
Henry has spent his NFL career with the Titans, rushing for nearly 8,000 yards and 75+ touchdowns. He led the NFL in rushing in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and he is a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
It’s clear from the numbers and accolades that Henry has achieved success at the highest levels of the sport. Don’t forget where it all started though, because when looking at what Derrick Henry did at Yulee, it’s likely that Florida high school football.
