K.J. Henry is beginning his fifth year as a member of Clemson’s football program. During that time, he has received two degrees from the school.
So when the Tigers’ 2021 season ended, it may have seemed like the perfect time for Clemson’s veteran defensive end to take his shot at the NFL. Yet, to hear Henry tell it, that never was much of an option.
A redshirt junior last season, Henry gave Clemson’s defensive line another boost when he decided to put off life after college for another year and return to school for his senior season. Fellow ends Myles Murphy, Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll are also back to solidify what should once again be one of college football’s more imposing defensive fronts this fall.
Henry didn’t personally submit any paperwork to the NFL seeking a draft grade before making his decision, though he said he still received some feedback that he’d be taken lower than he wanted to if at all this year. But Henry said that wasn’t his primary motivation for returning to Clemson.
Instead, it was input from Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and former Clemson assistant-turned-administrative staffer Woody McCorvey that sold Henry on the potential benefits of sticking around.
“They’ve seen a lot of players, and their opinions meant a lot to me,” Henry said. “I know they have the best in mind for myself. It was easy toward the end of it to say I want to come back and play here.”
Henry said he was already leaning toward coming back in large part because of a left knee injury he sustained a year ago that forced him to miss the spring. The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder had the best season of his career statistically this past season with 28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks despite wearing a knee brace for most of it, but Henry knew he wasn’t playing with the same speed and explosiveness that made him a blue-chip recruit coming out of West Forsyth (North Carolina) High in 2018.
“Checking in with my mental health as far as how this stuff works, it’s kind of hard to accept the fact that when you go through any type of injury, you’re no longer the same person you were,” Henry said. “And that’s something that I was really having to battle with as far as always comparing (myself) to what I was and who I was instead of really accepting where I was now and how I can build on that.”
Henry said Swinney and McCorvey both helped drive that point home, particularly given the flashes Henry showed later in the season. Part of the defensive end rotation throughout, injuries forced Henry into the starting lineup against Florida State, UConn, Wake Forest and South Carolina. He finished with 10 tackles and all but 1.5 of his sacks in those games.
“(Swinney) just felt like I could take another step holistically as a player with being more physical, with making more plays and being more productive,” Henry said. “And what I showed at the end of the season last year, he felt like if I do that for an entire year, it’d be a great thing for me. And I agreed with him.”
As for McCorvey, Henry joked the veteran coach, who’s now serving as Swinney’s chief of staff, is “the real head coach” and someone he has built a strong connection with over the last five years.
“His opinion definitely meant the world to me,” Henry said.
Henry began on-field preparations for the new season with the rest of his teammates Wednesday when the Tigers held their first practice of the spring. He went through it without any sort of brace on that left knee and no green or yellow jersey, meaning he wasn’t a limited participant in any way.
For Henry, it was a refreshing start to what he hopes will be his most productive season in his final one at Clemson.
“It felt great (Wednesday) to get back out on that knee,” Henry said. “No brace. No restrictions. Nothing. Just flying around.
“Just going to take my time, really focus on my craft and try to maximize all my time here.”
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