Marcus Henry caught 22 passes for 506 yards and five touchdowns as a senior at Eisenhower High in Lawton, Okla.
Those numbers were good enough to earn the receiver all-district and all-area honors and invitations to the prestigious Oil Bowl and Oklahoma All-State games.
They weren’t good enough, however, to earn him a Division One scholarship offer.
“We were all shocked,” said Eisenhower football coach Bill Whiteley, who has worked 27 years at the Lawton school, including the last nine as head coach. “We tried everything with Marcus.”
Finally, after Henry caught eight passes for 156 yards and a touchdown in the Oklahoma All-State game July 30, Kansas University offered him a grant.
“By the time he’s a senior, you’ll be really glad you got him,” Whiteley said.
Several Division One schools, including Texas Tech and Tulsa, had shown interest in Henry before signing day in February, but none offered him a scholarship. He was headed to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M before his breakout performance created late interest from Colorado State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Texas Tech and KU.
“If one Big 12 school says it’s recruiting someone, they all send him a letter,” Whiteley said. “I don’t know how that mail system works, but no one really went in and committed on Marcus.”
Whiteley’s offense was built around running back D.J. Wolfe, an Oklahoma signee who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. Given a chance to show what he could do in a passing offense, Henry sparkled in the Oil Bowl — which matches all-stars from Texas and Oklahoma — in June before his impressive performance in the All-State Game.
Some schools back off of recruits because of academics or off-the-field problems, but Whiteley said Henry has no such baggage.
“He’s a quiet young man,” Whiteley said. “He’s not going to run his mouth. He’s going to go out and play football and do his job. He’s a great kid. He just didn’t get enough catches for coaches to see he could be a wide receiver at that level.”
At 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Henry already looks the part of major-college receiver.
“He’s got a lot of growing to do,” Whiteley said. “The kid’s going to be something else by the time he’s a senior.”
For now, Henry merely is a freshman learning a new offense.
“He has good potential,” KU senior receiver Brandon Rideau said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how he plays later on in two-a-days. He’s just now getting broken in and getting used to being at this level.”
Henry was the state runner-up in the high jump with a leap of 6-foot-8. He also lettered in basketball. Henry’s fraternal twin, Maurice, is a 5-foot-9 freshman running back at NEO. Maurice Henry rushed for 520 yards and nine touchdowns as Wolfe’s backup last season.
¢
Media Day today: KU will have its Media Day this afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Two-a-day practice sessions will begin Thursday.
At Media Day, coach Mark Mangino is expected to address the eligibility of Charlton Keith, a junior college transfer defensive end, and the status of sophomore wide receiver Moderick Johnson.
Keith is awaiting the results of summer-school classes to determine his eligibility. Johnson, who was listed as a starter in the spring, was not at Monday’s open practice.
Nobody was available after Tuesday’s closed practice.
¢
Jayhawks receive rings: Kansas University football players and coaches and KU administrators now have rings signifying the Jayhawks’ appearance in the 2003 Tangerine Bowl.
According to Jim Marchiony, associate athletic director for external operations, a total of 160 rings were commissioned at a cost of $299 apiece, or $47,840.
The Big 12 Conference allows member schools to purchase rings or other awards under its bowl expenses formula. Under NCAA rules, the total value of any award to a student-athlete for participating in a postseason event may not exceed $300.