The 10th in a series featuring newcomers to the University of Arkansas football team.
Two repetitions were all Sam Pittman needed to know that he was going to offer Eli Henderson a scholarship.
Henderson wasn't supposed to be in Athens, Ga., that day, but when a camp at Georgia State was rained out, Henderson and his parents didn't want the trip to Georgia to be wasted.
So they headed 11/2 hours east to the University of Georgia for a camp a few weeks after Henderson's freshman year at Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes High School.
Henderson didn't arrive that day as an unknown in recruiting circles. He had interest from schools such as Virginia Tech, Penn State and South Carolina as far back as the eighth grade. But he showed up at Georgia with zero offers and was clueless as to who the "older guy" that couldn't stop looking at him was -- two things that would change by the end of the day.
As he was in line waiting to register for the camp, a man started walking his way, eventually striking up a conversation.
That man, who Henderson later learned was Pittman, Georgia's offensive line coach, pulled the 16-year-old out of line, got him registered and took him to the field personally.
Nearly an hour of drills later, Georgia Coach Kirby Smart joined Pittman to watch the drills.
"[Pittman] comes up to me and he says, 'Alright, I'm going to need you to do really good, because Kirby's coming down here,' " Henderson said. "Kirby Smart walked down there, and he starts talking to my family, and watching me do the drills, and he gives Coach Pittman the nod. Looking back on it, it's pretty obvious what was happening."
Henderson continued doing drills for another 30 minutes before Pittman took him aside and asked him to take a seat. Moments later Henderson was on his knees with tears in his eyes, a full-ride offer from Georgia and a life-altering moment shared with Pittman.
It was his first scholarship offer, but it wouldn't be his last, as it began a whirlwind week of texts, emails and phone calls from schools coast-to-coast. The problem, for those other schools at least, was that they didn't have Pittman.
"I'm really proud of how I handled the recruitment and how mature me and my family were," Henderson said. "Coach Pittman definitely had a grasp on us from Day 1."
Six months later, with his mind all but made up on committing to the Bulldogs, Henderson's plans were put on hold when Pittman accepted the head coach position at the University of Arkansas on Dec. 8, 2019.
Thankfully for Henderson, it was less than 24 hours after Pittman took the position that he reached out -- and less than two weeks before he officially offered him a scholarship at Arkansas.
Henderson was eager to work with Pittman no matter where he coached, so he didn't require much convincing, but he said there was one hurdle Pittman had to clear before landing his commitment.
"I said, 'You gotta let my mama know first,' " Henderson said. "So it was like every call that we had was, 'Hey Eli, what's up? Let me talk to your mama.' He didn't talk to me. He and my mom would talk for an hour."
With mom Jacquie on board, Eli committed on Aug. 10, 2020, as a three-star recruit and the third member of Pittman's 2022 recruiting class at Arkansas.
Henderson said he understands college football is treated like a business by most, and that Pittman could have easily decided to look to recruits elsewhere when he took the job at Arkansas. But his continued commitment to Henderson made it easy to return the favor.
"He could have been like, 'It's a different part of the country now, it's completely business,' and I would have got it," Henderson said. "Coach Pittman is the guy when it comes to offensive line. When he offers you one time, that's big to give his stamp. But for him to really buy into you and offer you twice like that ... that was another reason why I committed so early. Like, this guy has really bought into me and really wants me."
Pittman is the lone SEC coach to have previously been an offensive line coach -- a career path considered a rarity in college football. But for Henderson, it was exactly that, the knowledge of the position, that drew him to Pittman -- and then to Arkansas.
"Coach Pittman understands the game, especially from my point of view," Henderson said. "I don't know if he talks like that with other people. But when it's me and him talking, we talk a lot of technical O-line stuff. And it's just cool, like, when you talk to a coach and he speaks the same language. I know every coach knows football, but not every head coach knows a three-technique."
Henderson was the No. 7-ranked center by ESPN and one of 26 ranked by the outlet nationally. It's a position he played throughout high school, and despite having the size to play elsewhere at 6-4, 315 pounds, one that he hopes he continues to play with the Razorbacks.
"I definitely expected to come in here and snap the ball," Henderson said. "I did in high school, and a lot of guys usually don't get recruited out of high school as a center. It's usually guard [or] tackle. They put a ball in their hand afterward. So I took a little bit of pride in being the dude that was like, 'You're here for this,' and I take pride in being the head spear of the [offensive line]."
Henderson and his father Shane first discussed what it would require to enroll early at the college he chose when he was in eighth grade. It was a plan full of ambition but wasn't fully adhered to until his sophomore season of high school.
Eventually, he was able to complete all of the required classes and enrolled at Arkansas in January. The learning curve, both academically and athletically, was understandably steep. But Henderson said he's just as proud of the work he's put into his play on the field, as he has in himself.
"I think my confidence in myself [has grown]," Henderson said. "I'm an only child. I'm not usually away from my parents, I'm always with my mom and dad, but now they're 14 hours away. So, I think all of us were seeing how I would take it mentally and how it would affect me. I've done really well. I surprised myself with how well I've taken that and how I've gotten used to doing everything on my own."
Henderson will likely back up senior center Ricky Stromberg this season, but that doesn't change his goal for his time in Fayetteville.
"At the end of the day, all I want to do is make sure everything counts," Henderson said. "So whatever shot I get, whether it's first down in practice or if it's fourth down and 1 against Alabama, I want to make sure I make the most of it."
At a glance
Eli Henderson
CLASS Freshman
POSITION Offensive lineman
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-4, 315 pounds
HOMETOWN Duncan, S.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Byrnes
NOTEWORTHY Helped lead Byrnes to a 6-6 record his senior year. … Enrolled early at Arkansas following his senior football season. … Rated a three-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals. … Tallied 10 pancake blocks and 22 knockdowns at center as a senior. … Held scholarship offers from several NCAA Division I schools, including Georgia, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, South Carolina and Louisville
Eli Henderson
Arkansas offensive lineman Eli Henderson was eager to work with Coach Sam Pittman, but he said there was one hurdle that Pittman had to clear before landing his commitment. “I said, ‘You gotta let my mama know first,’ ” Henderson said. “So it was like every call that we had was, ‘Hey Eli, what’s up? Let me talk to your mama.’ He didn’t talk to me. He and my mom would talk for an hour.” (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)