The Recruiting Guy

Henry experiences firsts on visit, looking forward to getting to work

Pulaski Academy receiver Hudson Henry during Friday night's game against McClellan at Joe B. Hatcher stadium in Little Rock.

— Arkansas tight end commitment Hudson Henry has visited Fayetteville numerous times through the years, but he experienced a few firsts on his official visit this weekend.

“Friday we got here and met up and had a little get together,” Henry said. “Then we went out to The Catfish Hole. That was a fun experience. I had never been there before.”

He also had a chance to get a fresh look at the facilities while meeting his future teammates.

“Next day we kinda just tour the facility, it’s not like I've been there a thousand times, but it was just nice to kinda get a new perspective on it with a lot of the guys I'm gonna be with,” Henry said. “We just kinda clowned around, joked around with each other. It was fun to get to know all of them. I don't think I had ever met Treylon (Burks) before. Kinda got to know him. It was just good to get to meet all those guys and have a good time with them.”

Henry, 6-5, 230 pounds, of Pulaski Academy, chose the Razorbacks over more than 30 scholarship offers from schools like Stanford, Alabama, Ole Miss, Penn State, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Florida, LSU and others.

He chose not to ink with the Hogs during the early signing period in December, but will instead sign during a ceremony with his teammates on Feb. 6.

Henry tweaked his hamstring during practice at the Under Armour All-American game in Orlando.

“I had that minor setback at the Under Armour game and that was tough,” Henry said. “I'm feeling good now. Been stretching it. Doing some yoga actually. That has been helping. I like yoga a lot.”

He recorded 94 receptions for 1,309 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Bruins as a senior. Henry recorded 72 receptions for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior for the 14-0 Bruins, who won their fourth consecutive state championship.

Henry is the younger brother of former Arkansas All-American and Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry and Razorbacks sophomore linebacker Hayden Henry. He was hosted by redshirt sophomore tight end Grayson Gunter. He’s confident he’ll fit in well with the tight ends on campus.

“Grayson is just a phenomenal man,” Henry said. “I just feel like we are very similar in who we are and what we do out on the field. I'm just excited to get out and play with him, CJ (O'Grady) and all those other guys. Coach (Barry) Lunney leading us at the helm. Obviously he led Hunter so exciting thing to be with him.

He would like to see his teammate and receiver John David White, who also officially visited the Hogs, join him in Fayetteville.

“Selfishly I want him to come here, but I want him to do what is best for him,” Henry said. “If that is not here then it's not here. I want to a hundred-percent his fan. If he does come here I want to drive him to do that. I will be so, so happy.”

Henry’s father, Mark, was an offensive lineman for the Razorbacks from 1988-1991 and was an All-Southwest Conference center as a senior. His mother, Jenny, also attended Arkansas. They accompanied Henry on the visit along with younger sister Hope.

He’s looking forward to reuniting with Hayden as a Razorback.

“We've always had that bond since we were little,” Henry said. “Me and Hayden were always closer than Hunter was with me, but me and Hunter are still pretty close. But being up here with Hayden is just gonna be special to be up here with him the next three years. I can't wait to do that with him and share all these special memories. We got to share in high school together back at PA, but it will definitely be a different experience here.”

Henry is looking forward to working out as a Hog.

“I'm just trying to outwork everybody,” he said. “If there is one thing people can describe me at the end of the day it's that I'm a very hard worker.”

CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rates Henry a 5-star prospect. Razorback fans were upset about Henry dropping in the rankings of a recruiting service recently.

“People are doubting me,” Henry said. “People are saying I'm not gonna be the best or whatever. I'm not gonna let it get me down. I'm just gonna use that as a building block for me to come up here and be the best possible tight end I can be.”