FAYETTEVILLE — After dealing with a truncated five-game junior season, Arkansas 2022 offensive line pledge Ethan Henderson of Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes is focused on being the center of attention in the future.
Henderson (6-5, 290) took over at center for the Rebels (3-2) this season, meaning he has now played every position on the offensive line since joining varsity as a freshman.
“This was my first season playing center after last year playing guard and the season before that playing tackle,” Henderson said. “I was real excited to get that under my belt.
“I liked being the dude that called the shots, the dude that everyone lines up off of and the dude being the natural leader of the offensive line. I liked it and I was really proud of my season of not having a single bad snap. There were no worm burners or any crazy over-the-head snaps.”
Henderson believes he has the proper mentality to man the position in high school and college.
“I plan to keep it going as much as I can,” Henderson added. “I just want to get more fluid with how I play center. It is a hard position. You are snapping the ball with a 300-pound guy right in front of you ready to kill you. But I like that challenge. I want to be that dude.”
The ESPN three-star prospect especially wants to be that dude for Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and Razorbacks offensive coach Brad Davis.
“Coach Davis is one of my favorite guys on this planet,” Henderson said. “We talk every single day and some days it is not even about football. It could be what we are going to eat from dinner or just how the day went.
“In terms of football, there is none better. I mean, he is getting calls every single day from different schools trying to hire him, which means he is doing something right. But he is where he wants to be.”
Pittman has sent numerous offensive linemen on to the the NFL, and that is something Henderson knows well.
“Coach Pittman is the guru, and what it comes down to is there is no better coaches to be under than Coach Pittman and Coach Davis,” Henderson said. “I am blessed that I am going to be able to be in the same room as those guys.”
Henderson committed to Arkansas on Aug. 10 and is one of three current 2022 Razorbacks pledges with Greenland defensive end JJ Hollingsworth (6-4, 250) and Dewitt tight end Dax Courtney (6-6, 210).
He was happy to see the Arkansas program turn the corner and find success this season.
“I remember in the preseason I was thinking that this was going to be a big year for us, but everybody else was telling me that it was going to be a tough first year,” Henderson said. “Then they beat Ole Miss and Mississippi State and people were surprised. A lot of people talked about Xs and Os, but I know that Coach Pittman is a guy that players want to play. You can see that.
“He now has the guys that he wants there and there is a bright future ahead for us.”