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Nick Saban recalls hilarious story of Derrick Henry’s steep learning curve to college football
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Nick Saban and Derrick Henry are tied together as 2 of the elite figures in Alabama’s all-time football history. However, it wasn’t easy for the former 5-star prospect to adjust to the college football world.
During Saban’s recent appearance on “The Pivot,” the former head coach dove into one story regarding Henry and his freshman season. As Saban relays it, Henry was unaccustomed to just about everything football related outside of carrying the rock.
“So he’s a freshman, and we’re doing like a team pass drill. And he don’t know his ass from a handful of sand in terms of pass protection, pass blocking, none of these,” explained Nick Saban.
“He doesn’t pick up the right guy or something, and the offensive coordinator is getting on him so bad, I’m like I feel bad for this guy, I’m gonna go, you know, rub his neck a little bit. He looks at me and says ‘Coach, I don’t know anything about any of this shit. All they did in high school was turn around and toss me the ball and tell me to run with it. That’s all I know about football. So can you all have a little patience?'”
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A member of the 2013 recruiting class, it’s understandable Henry didn’t know much outside of carrying the football after over 12,000 yards and 153 rushing touchdowns in high school. He would also get plenty of action with the football in his hands at Alabama, especially during his 2015 Heisman Trophy season when Henry led the nation in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Henry is also the one running back who continues to defy age and traditional workload wear and tear in the NFL. He just completed his 9th NFL season and is the active leader with over 2,300 carries and 11,400 rushing yards, including 1,921 yards during the 2024 season.
Things worked out just fine for Henry in the end. All he needed was a little patience!
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
