Previously: Last year's profiles. S Makari Paige, S RJ Moten, S Jordan Morant, CB Andre Seldon, CB Darion Green-Warren, CB Eamonn Dennis, VP William "Apache" Mohan, LB Nikhai Hill-Green, LB Kalel Mullings, LB Cornell Wheeler, LB Osman Savage, DE Aaron Lewis, DE Jaylen Harrell, DE Braiden McGregor, DT Kris Jenkins, OL Reece Atteberry, OL Zak Zinter, OL Jeffrey Persi, TE Matthew Hibner, WR Roman Wilson.

Frankfort, IL – 5'10", 183
		24/7	4*, #137 overall #23 WR, #3 IL
		Rivals	4*, #112 overall #21 WR, #2 IL
		ESPN	4*, #112 overall #16 WR, #1 IL
		Composite	4*, #102 overall #18 WR, #2 IL
		Other Suitors	ND, PSU, UGA, OSU, Stanford
		YMRMFSPA	Chris Evans
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from yrs truly. Future Blue Originals from Adam and Dave.
Notes	Twitter. AA game.
Film
Senior Year:

AJ Henning's appeal as a recruit isn't any harder to discern than Roman Wilson's. Dude is fast. He put up a 10.7 100 meter dash as a junior; he went to an Opening regional and put up a 4.46 40, 4.08 shuttle, and 37-inch vertical. Those numbers aren't quite at Wilson's level but are nonetheless top-tier nationally, and he did that with about ten pounds more weight than Wilson. There are naturally unconfirmed reports that Henning clocks in the 4.3 range.

So he's another guy whose recruiting evaluation are bursting with exclamation-point words. 24/7 profile scout:

Compact build. … elite speed. Great burst and acceleration … Catches the ball well away from his body …Good lower body strength and will break tackles. More someone that will run past defenders than a make-you-miss in a phone booth guy. … Needs to still continue to work on route-running … A true home-run threat and one of the more electric players in his class.

Notre Dame folks thought he was theirs early in the cycle and put him at the top of their "must get" lists, calling him an "elite recruit through and through" because "his speed [is] upper echelon, his hands sticky, and his cutting ability electric." Elsewhere his speed was described as "absolutely elite" in an article plugging Henning as the Irish's #1 priority in the 2020 class; another article also placed him at the top of ND's board, saying "The Irish need to get this guy."

This was not just a Notre Dame take. Adam's FBO take:

… made moderately difficult catches look routine … accelerates to top speed as fast as any prospect I've scouted the last four seasons. His route-running could use some cleaning up … displayed a keen awareness of when a single juke would create needed space. … testing results also match what we see on film: he has breakaway speed (4.46 40), short-area quickness that will help him avoid getting jammed (4.08 shuttle, which would have placed him fourth at last year's combine), and plus ball skills that will allow him to be a contributor inside or outside.

The coach he victimized in the 2017 Illinois state title game says they were winning until they put him in at RB, whereupon they were not winning because "his start/stop is exceptional and his overall speed is umatched"; another local victim/coach asserts that "being able to go from zero to full speed as he can is something you don’t see that often." Henning's the kind of kid that the word "electric" is more likely than not to show up in any evaluation.

[After THE JUMP: what is it? it's it]

Henning burst onto the scene as a sophomore and started the cycle in five-star territory at 24/7; as you can see above he underwent a steady slide. This is due in part to an injury-wracked junior year. Henning had surgery to repair a labrum injury he played through as a sophomore, then suffered hip flexor and ankle injuries that sapped his electric speed. He was limited to 43 touches and 500 yards. He got dinged down into territory where guys can jump you, and then a bunch of guys jumped him.

He did not bounce back up despite a productive, healthy senior year that saw him named player of the year in Illinois. Allen Trieu after seeing him in person:

We knew he had legit breakaway 4.4 type speed, but he has shown more than just that too. He made a great diving catch, he broke tackles, he showed all the dimensions to his game. He is about 5-foot-9, not real tall, but has a compact build.

Then he didn't bounce back up after an All America game appearance that seemed to confirm that the zip was back in Henning's legs. Steve Wiltfong:

Through two days of practice, A.J. Henning has been the standout. Among a very talented group of West pass catchers, Henning is one of the more athletic, springy and explosive players on the roster. His route running is tremendous, and when the ball is in his hands he’s dangerous. The ball skills is where he’ll need to continue to improve.

Rivals didn't mention him except for an honorable mention in their "All or Nothing" category, which goes to the guy who will "will either make a huge play or potentially make a mistake or be invisible at times." He didn't end up making a catch in the game itself.

At Michigan Henning should be the long-coveted (at least around these parts) Spread H. The spread H is difficult to defend because he can pop up in the slot or in the backfield and reasonably fulfill the duties of either a running back or receiver. Then you can put linebackers in a bind, as Giles Jackson did last year against Indiana.

Henning's senior year was the statistical ideal for this player: he caught 52 passes for ~800 yards and ran 120 times for ~800 yards. And he seems to have the skillset to continue this versatility in college. Notre Dame was looking at him as a running back—Theo Riddick comparisons flew thick and fast—and Rivals ranked him there for much of the cycle. His WR skills are legitimate, as well. There are a couple of Gallon-esque fade catches on his highlight reel. There is also a route at about 2:00 that made me laugh out loud.

Early Notre Dame evaluations are a little overheated but still point to a guy who is not just a sideshow at either WR or RB:

… has “good luck next time” acceleration. … natural receiver. … darting change of direction and acceleration … tremendous 10- and 20-yard speed … stop-on-a-dime ability. … on deeper routes in coverage, Henning shows excellent ball skills and the ability to gain last-second separation as the ball arrives. … scatback feet and outstanding cutting ability … willing, physical blocker.

Henning did have some hands issues at the All America game, as Wiltfong noted above. There's a fairly large split in evaluations here, with his coach describing him as a vacuum…

“It starts with his speed. He’s an all-class type sprinter speed. But, it’s also his ball skills. He catches everything that is near him. Urban Meyer is recruiting him and compares him to Percy Harvin, a guy you can put all over."

…and Touch The Banner comparing him to Jeremy Gallon, the most size-defying outside receiver in Michigan history. Meanwhile Wiltfong sounds a note of caution, as did Trieu when he committed. Trieu thought he might have seen him bad because of the injury layoff:

… good ball skills on his tape. They even threw him some fades on his tape. He did not catch it as clean at The Opening Regionals in the spring, but he may have been a tad rusty on the football stuff. At any rate, he is a very capable receiver.

Wiltfong's note is after Henning's senior season, when rust should not be a factor. Henning does have a fair number of tough catches on his senior tape, especially for a guy who spent half or more of his time in the backfield, but there's some chance this is a Braylon situation where Henning is capable of spectacular catches and infamous drops.

Etc.: Is bros with JJ McCarthy, who he worked out with frequently. The Gallon comparison looks a lot better if those two have a mind-meld on par with Gardner-Gallon.

Why Chris Evans? Evans has not gotten to show much of his receiving ability at Michigan but in high school he was a true hybrid WR/RB lightning bolt who did about equal damage by land and by sea. Evans might have an inch on Henning and slants more toward the running back end of the scale

Guru Reliability: Very high. Heavily scouted prospect who did camps and an all-star game. Think the injury issues may be holding his ranking down more than they should since he was healthy and productive as a senior.

Variance: Moderate. Injuries still a bit of a concern. Hands issues could crop up at inopportune times.

Ceiling: Very high. A step back from Wilson in both raw speed and size but his versatility gives him a method to eat up yards that Wilson doesn't have. Wheel route remains undefeated, and this is a wheel route gentleman.

General Excitement Level: High-plus. Not every one of these little lightning bolt guys is going to hit but it seems likely that one of them ends up being a Rondale Moore kind of guy, minus the ability to break tackles like he's 250 pounds.

Projection: Season does not exist. Borderline redshirt if it did since there are a couple slot options in front of him, plus Evans, and he could have gotten his four games to tantalize. Busting through to immediate playing time would have been a good sign.

Long term he's going to be in a battle with Sainristil, Jackson, and the next generation of guys in a constant war for slot and spread H snaps. I can't tell you who's going to win that, but Henning appears to be the best combination of speed and interior chops for the H spot.