FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas linebacker Hayden Henry appears to be set to become a starter for the Razorbacks this season.
Position: LB
High school: Pulaski Academy
Class: Sophomore
Rundown: Played in all 12 games as a freshman, mostly on special teams, while recording three tackles. ... He earned a scholarship after the season. ... Hayden's father, Mark, played for the Razorbacks from 1988-1991 and was an All-Southwest Conference center as a senior. His mother, Jenny, also attended Arkansas, and her father, Skip Coffman, played basketball for Arkansas in the early 1960s.
Henry’s brother, Hunter, was an All-American tight end and a Mackey Award winner at Arkansas, and plays for the Los Angeles Chargers. Younger brother Hudson plays tight end for Pulaski Academy and is a major Arkansas target.
Coach Chad Morris is:
“Energetic. He just brings so much energy, so much enthusiasm to practice, to meetings. We can be in a meeting talking about the most boring thing ever and I’m going to be on edge because you never know what’s coming next. You never know what’s coming. But I love that enthusiasm and that energetic personality from my head coach, who is really like the leader of this team, who’s really the guy that’s calling all of the shots. I want that from a guy.”
Favorite Coach John Chavis saying:
“He told a story about how linebackers need to be like pit bulls because he said, 'When you go hog hunting, you use a pit bull,' and he said we need to be like a pit bull that’s hog hunting. That’s my favorite saying.”
Strength and conditioning Coach Trumain Carroll:
“A beast. He’s just a mastermind in the weight room. He knows how the body works. He knows how to put muscle on. He knows how to cut fat off. He knows how to chisel anyone’s body in a way that’s going to allow them to perform at the best of their ability and really he just knows how to connect with the players as well more than anything, which is an incredible feature for a strength coach, who really spends most of the time with the players - more than any of the coaches do. So, it’s been really great to have him. He can really connect with me. I can tell him what I want in my training and really provide that for me.”
My mom still gets on to me for:
“My mom still gets after me for not calling her back. That’s just one of my things. They call some and I’ll just not get back to them. Sorry, mom. I’ll call you soon.”
How have you grown as a person while at Arkansas?
“I’ve grown more socially than anything. Just time management is just the biggest thing for college football. Just knowing when to get off of your feet. It’s fun to go out and do fun things. It’s time to just stay in and rest, hydrate and I’ve really grown in that area when it comes to what is going to allow me to play at my best. Do I need to stay up tonight and play video games? Or do I need to go to bed?"
What surprised you about college football?
“People don’t quite understand how the physicality changes from high school to college. How important it is to have…your hands are the most critical tool you can use in college football. That was the hardest thing for me. I played safety in high school and then I came here and played kind of like an outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense. I was having to use my hands every single play and it took me awhile to kind of adapt and now it’s really like second nature.”
Which teammate inspires you and why?
“Grant Morgan is just a guy that I would call a grinder. He’s a guy that probably deserves a scholarship and, gosh, I just want it for him so bad because he shows up for work every single day and brings it. It’s something I look up to and I’m kind of like, 'This guy this is something that I need to go after here. I need to act like this guy. This guy is a beast.' He shows up everyday and just absolutely gets after it. He knows the defense probably better than anybody. I’m trying to be a model like Grant Morgan.”