Five-star K.J. Henry talks upcoming Bama official visit & in-home schedule
It is decision month for five-star K.J. Henry. The Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth defensive end is set to announce his commitment on the first day of the early signing period (Dec. 20) but he has a lot to do between now and then.
IN HIS OWN WORDS…
“It’s getting kind of hectic,” Henry said. “I’m trying to set up some in-home visits with different coaches. All the schools in my top five are going to a bowl game so they’re very busy trying to make sure they can get the win for their program. I’m trying to work around different coaches’ schedules so I can see them one last time before I commit.
“This week I’ll have coach Fuente and his staff from Virginia Tech come by on Monday, coach Swinney and his staff from Clemson come by on Wednesday, and coach Muschamp and his staff from South Carolina come by Thursday,” he said. “They are all in-home visits.
“I’ll be at Alabama this weekend and I’ll be at the Shrine Bowl on Sunday night after my official visit,” said Henry. “I’m expecting Alabama to be Alabama. They always exceed expectations when I go down there. I’m excited to catch up with coach Saban and coach Tosh again. Obviously, when they are in the season and in their grind, I can honestly say I don’t get to talk to them as much so I’m excited to catch up and see where we are and how I could fit into their success in the coming years.
“Coach Tosh is probably the big guy that I’m excited to see and talk to again,” he said. “I met Najee (Harris) and his mom the last time I was down there. They had a lot of good things to say. He’s from out west so for him to get acclimated to everything down there spoke volumes. Hopefully I’ll be able to see him and see some of the other young guys.”
“I do not know which school I’m picking yet,” Henry said. “I need to get this last official visit in and hopefully get all five in-home visits. After that I’ll use the 48 hours before the signing period to make my decision. I’ll sit down with the family, write some things down, and decided close to the date.”
On the College Football Playoff: “I don’t know how it’s going to play out,” he said. “The fan part of me was getting tired of seeing Clemson and Alabama in the championship so I’m glad they get to go at it the round before. I’m glad they are getting to play each other again and it’s always a competitive game. That will be fun. I’m glad for a mix up this year. It’s exciting.”
On how his dad’s experience is helping: “I say this a lot but having my dad as a college coach helps me make sure college coaches aren’t blowing smoke,” said Henry. “What I mean by that is that they can’t just say stuff that I want to hear. They have to hit me with the truth and what’s honest for me, my position, and my future. I think my dad has been a key factor in my recruitment just making sure I get the truth out of everybody so I’ll know what I’m getting myself into in the next couple months.”
RIVALS’ REACTION…
Henry’s last official this weekend is very meaningful and is the last realistic chance for a school to overtake Clemson as Henry’s leader. Alabama does a great job with visitors, especially postseason official visitors, so Henry’s reaction to his experience could be telling. All five schools will probably get their in-home visits with Virginia Tech, Clemson, and South Carolina already having their in-home visits with the Henry family scheduled for this week and Georgia and Alabama likely getting theirs next week. Henry will use this time to get his last remaining questions answered before making his decision.
