Louisville football: Four options for Cards at QB in 2021
By Jacob Lane
Jaylen Henderson
DUAL, 6’3, 205-pounds
Recruiting status: Top 8
Another quarterback who has recently cut his list of schools, including the Louisville football program in the process, is Jaylen Henderson. Offered at the same time as the aforementioned TJ Lewis, the staff has done a great job at recruiting multiple players at the same position, something that is not easily done, and now sits in the final eight for the Chaminade product.
Louisville joins a list of finalists that includes mostly west coast schools including Fresno State, Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State, and New Mexico as well as east coast schools Vanderbilt (the only other power five program) and Yale. The offer list doesn’t stack up to what we saw with Shedeur Sanders, but the talent is very much there for Henderson.
Thanking God and All of the Coaches that recruited me and Blessed me with an opportunity to further my education as well as compete at the next level. One step closer to my goal! These are my Top 8! @CFBEdits2 pic.twitter.com/Ub3ADKeEKL
— Jaylen (Jmoney) Henderson (@_Jmoney13_) June 30, 2020
Ranked as the 30th best dual-threat QB in the country and the 79th best player in California, Henderson’s recruitment picked up steam following a big junior season where he threw for 2,664 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing 60 percent of his passes and only throwing six interceptions. He’s also a solid runner who can make plays when given the opportunity to do so. He rushed for 767 total yards in 2019 while picking up an additional five touchdowns, bringing his total to 25.
I am a big Henderson fan because of his throwing ability, something he does better than just about any quarterback the Cards have been after during the 2021 cycle. Whether it’s hanging out in the pocket or throwing on the run, Henderson is a very accurate and deliberate quarterback who can make just about every throw you could ask for.
A California high school coach called him a “modern NFL quarterback” due to his mix of size, throwing power, and athleticism and if that’s the case, Louisville would be crazy to not be involved up to the very end.
As of now, Lewis is at the top of the board but it doesn’t mean that Louisville shouldn’t and wouldn’t continue to recruit Henderson. If Lewis does decide to commit elsewhere, Henderson is the guy who the staff could turn to next as “their guy,” and he’d give Louisville a dominant passer for years to come.