Tag: A.J. Henning

Michigan 63, Northern Illinois 10

This is the expectation. It’s nice to see that Michigan met expectations for once. This kind of beatdown is what Michigan should do on a pretty regular basis against overmatched MAC-level opponents. We’ve seen losses (2008 Toledo), close wins (2014 Akron), and other mild scares against the MAC, as well as a bunch of dominant victories. But Michigan should never really be within arm’s reach of a MAC opponent. The line should be too big, the skill guys should be too fast, and the coaches should be too smart.

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2021 Michigan vs. Western Michigan Awards

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Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . A.J. Henning. Assuming Ronnie Bell is out for a while (hopefully not!), I think Henning is probably the guy who needs to see more touches. Michigan needs a guy who can run through tackles and make something happen after the catch. As much as I like Cornelius Johnson, Roman Wilson, and other guys, I’m not sure that any receiver besides Henning can offer that ability after the catch. Henning had a 74-yard touchdown on an end around and caught 1 pass for 11 yards from J.J. McCarthy.

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2021 Season Countdown: #23 A.J. Henning

Name: A.J. Henning
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Frankfort (IL) Lincoln-Way East
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Henning #41 and said he would be a backup wide receiver with 7 catches for 90 yards and 1 touchdown (LINK). He caught 6 passes for 59 yards and ran 3 times for 15 yards.
TTB Rating: 86

Henning was a freshman speedster last season who would have really benefited from playing a full season. A jack-of-all-trades type of high school player, he never got a chance to spend much time honing his craft of playing wide receiver. The highlight of his freshman season was a leaping catch on a jump ball for 28 yards against Penn State, but otherwise, he had a pretty uneventful freshman year. That made sense because of the presence of then sophomore Giles Jackson, a similar slot-type player with a year of experience under his belt.

Jackson has since transferred to Washington, opening the door for Henning to be the resident gimmick player, a guy who can run the ball, catch the ball, and return kicks. If his high school film is to be believed, he has very good speed, some power, and some wiggle. It will be a matter of translating those athletic skills to the college game, and hopefully a full off-season has helped with that. Michigan will probably use him in a variety of ways, but I don’t expect him to start. While the Wolverines don’t have any true superstars at receiver, they do have some more experienced and proven players in the forms of Ronnie Bell, Cornelius Johnson, and Daylen Baldwin, among others.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver and starting kick returner; 14 catches for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns

Michigan vs. Penn State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Hassan Haskins. Haskins averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 17 attempts (stat line: 17 rushes, 106 yards, 2 TD). The quarterbacks combined to average 4.0 yards per passing attempt. Of course, you’re probably not going to be able to break off big runs if you’re handing off the ball 60 times and throwing it 20 times, but Haskins was not used enough. He’s the most consistent runner behind a mediocre (or bad) offensive line.

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2020 Season Countdown: #41 A.J. Henning

Name: A.J. Henning
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 183 lbs.
High school: Frankfort (IL) Lincoln-Way East
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Henning was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 52 passes for 835 yards and 13 touchdowns, ran 121 times for 648 yards and 15 touchdowns; and returned 1 punt for a touchdown.
TTB Rating: 86

Henning was a big win for Michigan on the recruiting trail. The Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year finished the cycle as a 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #102 overall. Spending time at both running back and wide receiver, his speed and quickness were on display regularly. But when it came time to compete with other stars at the All-American Bowl, Henning did not stand out.

Michigan brought in some speedy players in the 2020 class, and I think Henning is the most likely freshman to contribute at wideout. Between Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black, Michigan loses 59 receptions from the 2019 season. Cornelius Johnson and Giles Jackson should see bigger roles, but I think Henning will be the 2020 version of Giles Jackson: a guy Michigan can line up in the backfield, in the slot, and maybe on special teams.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver; 7 catches, 90 yards, 1 touchdown

Hit the jump for his senior highlights.