He is one of the most soft-spoken athletes on the LSU football team. But when he steps on the football field, his actions speak louder than his words.
Devery Henderson has found himself among one of the best receiving corps in the country. But Henderson, being a quiet guy, has not shied away from the spotlight. Instead, he has embraced it.
Henderson was thrown into the national spotlight this summer. Thousands of online voters cast their vote for Henderson and the “Bluegrass Miracle.” Then, millions of viewers around the world watched ESPN as Henderson accepted the ESPY award for his heroics against Kentucky last season.
Although he has yet to make a play comparable to the “Bluegrass Miracle” this season, Henderson has continued to play consistently on the field.
Henderson has become one of Matt Mauck’s favorite targets, especially near the end zone. So far this season, Henderson is second on the team behind Michael Clayton with 38 receptions for 626 yards. He leads the team with nine touchdown receptions.
“If the opportunity is there to make a big play, I just take it upon myself to make it,” Henderson said. “I’ve been doing a good job at it, Matt’s been doing a good job of getting me the ball.”
Against Louisiana Tech, Henderson recorded two of those touchdown receptions – one of 50 yards and another for 46 yards. Those were his only two receptions of the game.
On one of the touchdown receptions, Mauck said he was unsure whether Henderson was going to be able to make one of the catches because he thought he saw the receiver stumble.
“I was just throwing air on it, thinking he was going to have to regain his balance,” Mauck said. “But it was actually the other guy that I saw fall, and Devery really kept his stride.”
Two of Henderson’s best performances this season came in back-to-back Southeastern Conference games against Mississippi State and Florida. At State, Henderson recorded a season-high seven catches for 114 yards and one touchdown. Two weeks later [after the bye week], Henderson grabbed five passes for 109 yards against the Gators.
“A lot of times, I have a chance to make a big play and I try to capitalize on it,” Henderson said. “And, at the same time, work on things that make me a complete receiver.”
But Henderson may have saved his best performance for the Auburn Tigers, recording six catches for 101 yards and two scores.
“The main thing with me is just to stay humble and have a humble attitude toward everything,” Henderson said. “I just go out there and play my game the same way I play it every time. And if I do that and keep God first, everything should work out.”
He continues to improve on a weekly basis and has found himself as one of Mauck’s favorite receivers.
“Devery, what can you say about him?” said Mauck. “He’s a tremendous athlete. He’s so fast. It’s really hard for people to be able to cover him.”
Teammate and fellow wideout Skyler Green said playing alongside Henderson improves the game of everyone around him.
“Devery is a fast guy,” Green said. “When he runs his routes, he’s going full speed. That’s what I’ve learned from him – you run full speed, you get open.”
Henderson, being a humble guy, returned the compliment to his fellow wideouts.
“We knew coming into the season we had something special,” Henderson said. “The talent is there, we’ve just got to keep on fighting through everything and have a good season.”