INDIANAPOLIS — While he may no longer be wearing maize and blue, no one was happier to see Michigan football win the national championship than AJ Henning.
The former Wolverines receiver, who transferred to Northwestern last offseason, was tuned in just like everyone else, elated to see his previous team take down Washington on January 8. Considering he spent three years in Ann Arbor, learning college football while building relationships, not only were there no hard feelings, Henning was rooting for his former team outright.
“It was such a cool experience,” Henning said. “I feel like being able to watch them, just knowing you were a part of something bigger than yourself, part of the foundation of that team — we set out to do something special.
“After that 2020 season, my freshman year, it didn’t feel good. Michigan wasn’t what Michigan had been. So the leaders of that team really refocused themselves, refocused the team to having a mindset that we’re coming for it all this year. Won a Big Ten Championship, lose hard in the playoffs that year, come back, win another Big Ten Championship, lose another heartbreaker in the playoff that following year.
“And then, going on this year, seeing all they accomplished, to complete the ultimate goal in this game, the ultimate prize of this game, it was very cool to watch. I’ve got a lot of relationships with those guys, guys that I call my best friends until the end. So it was cool to definitely see them hoist up that trophy and I was happy. I was happy for them.”
Henning, you may remember, and as he noted, was also instrumental in Michigan turning things around in 2021. He scored the first touchdown against Ohio State that year, on an end-around, but his production waned heavily the following season, after he was touted as being a Deebo Samuel-like athlete by Jim Harbaugh.
His career has been revitalized now that he’s playing for his home state team in Northwestern. And while he may have been rooting for the maize and blue in the postseason last year, this year, he hopes to be on the winning side when the Wildcats travel to Ann Arbor for the penultimate game of the 2024 regular season.
“Yeah, I definitely have got that game circled on my calendar! 11-23-24. Coming back to The Big House,” Henning said. “It will be a lot of fun, the stadium that I played in for the majority of my career, the majority of my college career. I’m excited to get back. I’m excited to get in that environment and be in front of those fans again.
“Playing for a new team, it will be like old times, like practice again! Lining up against guys like Will Johnson and other guys who are still on that team. It will be a lot of fun!”