Derrick Henry has blown into an NFL superstar with the Tennessee Titans.
Before the NFL, however, Henry starred at Alabama from Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Henry was ranked as the nation’s No. 12 overall player and the nation’s No. 1 athlete, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. At 6-foot-3 and 247-pounds, some thought Henry would wind up on the defensive side of the ball. Saban had different ideas.
Henry joined Kevin Hart on the latest episode of “Cold as Balls,” and Hart asked Henry was it was like to be a star player in Tuscaloosa.
“Alabama, there ain’t really no pro teams, so it’s basically you pro, you everything,” Henry told Hart. “That’s all they know is football, so they treat you like royalty out there from the time you get on campus. But when you elevate your game as a player it just gets better.”
The former Heisman Trophy winner had a huge season in 2019, rushing for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns. That’s back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for Henry, a former second round draft pick. Through 4 NFL seasons, Henry has rushed for 3,833 yards and 38 touchdowns. His transition from Alabama to the NFL wasn’t easy, and he knew he had to earn his stripes.
“Mainly my attitude was to earn my respect,” Henry said about transitioning from college to the NFL. “When you come to the NFL, you got to earn your stripes. It’s basically like starting over, just like when you get to college.”
The Titans placed the franchise tag on Henry this offseason, which he signed in April.
You can check out the full episode below:
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
