Derrick Henry

Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. (born January 4, 1994) is an American professional football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "King Henry", he is known for his imposing style of play and larger build than the average running back. Noted for his success at every stage of his career, Henry is the only player to have rushed for at least 2,000 yards in a season at the high school, college, and professional levels. He also led the nation in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns at all three levels.

Born and raised in Yulee, Florida, Henry set the national high school football record for career rushing yards with the Yulee Hornets, breaking Ken Hall's record that had stood for almost 60 years. Henry was a five star recruit according to ESPN. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where during his junior season, he broke Herschel Walker's single-season college rushing yards record in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), won the 2015 Heisman Trophy, the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award, and was a key part of the 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide football team that won the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Henry was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, where he was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. A backup for most of his first two seasons in the league, Henry emerged as the Titans' feature back near the end of the 2018 season. He led the NFL in rushing yards for the 2019 season, as well as rushing touchdowns (tied with Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones). In 2020, Henry again led the league in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, becoming just the eighth player in NFL history—and the second Tennessee Titan after Chris Johnson in 2009—to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. He went on to win the 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. After missing more than half of the 2021 season to injury, he made his third and fourth Pro Bowl appearances in the subsequent two seasons. After eight seasons in Tennessee, Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024, where he set multiple franchise records in his first season with the team. Through the 2025 season, Henry is the NFL's active leader in career rushing yards and touchdowns (ranking tenth and fourth all-time, respectively).

Henry's success and dominance has also extended into the playoffs. He is the NFL's active leader in postseason rushing yards (ranking 7th all-time), holds several playoffs records, and was a key contributor to Titans' playoff wins in 2017–18 and 2019–20 and the Ravens' playoff win in 2024–25.

Early life

Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. was born on January 4, 1994, in Yulee, Florida, to Stacy Veal and Derrick Henry Sr., aged 15 and 16 respectively. Derrick Sr. was absent for much of Henry's childhood, having been arrested 20 times for various crimes including drug and prostitution-related offenses, and was consequently in and out of prison and had trouble maintaining employment. Stacy became a hemodialysis technician, and Henry was raised primarily by his grandmother, Gladys, who nicknamed him "Shocka", as his birth shocked the whole family, given his parents' young ages. Henry developed a close relationship with Gladys, whom he cites as very influential in his upbringing.

From a young age, Henry showed a natural passion for football. At age two, he would always find a football and run from his aunt in toy stores, as though she was a would-be tackler. Though football was his true passion, Henry excelled in other sports, including baseball. In one Little League game, he hit a ball over the 200-foot fence, sending it flying over another higher fence and smashing into a school bus.

Henry started playing organized football at age six. He was so big and powerful for his age that a copy of his birth certificate was brought to all of his games, and even then, opposing parents skeptically shook their heads. Henry spent the entirety of grade school playing up an age level because he could not make the required weight of his actual age group. In middle school, Henry was so dominant that opposing coaches instituted the unofficial "Shocka Henry Rule" which stated that Yulee would consider pulling him from the game when the Hornets had a three-touchdown lead.

High school career

Henry attended Yulee High School, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track. Henry played as a running back for the Yulee Hornets football team. As a freshman in 2009, he ran for 2,465 yards and 26 touchdowns and was also named first-team All-First Coast by The Florida Times-Union. In 2010, Henry again earned first-team All-First Coast honors and was named the First Coast Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 2,788 yards and 38 touchdowns while averaging 8.9 yards per attempt. As a junior in 2011, he repeated as a first-team All-First Coast selection after rushing for 2,610 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Henry set the Florida high school record with a 510-yard performance against Jacksonville Jackson (a record he held until 2021) and averaged 9.2 yards per carry and 327.8 yards per game as a senior, finishing the season with a state-record 4,261 yards and 55 touchdowns. He was once more named first-team All-First Coast and earned MaxPreps Athlete of the Year and MaxPreps Player of the Year honors, along with Player of the Year recognition from several other organizations. Henry was also named a MaxPreps and Parade All-American, as well as a member of the USA Today All-USA High School Football Team.

Henry finished his high school football career with 12,124 career rushing yards, which broke Ken Hall's career record. During this time, Henry began receiving the nickname "King Henry" by stadium crowds and local television news reports as he began aiming to break the national high school rushing title. Henry also rushed for 153 career touchdowns. His career touchdown total ranked fifth all-time at the time of his graduation. In four years at Yulee, Henry averaged more than 250 yards a game and never rushed for less than 100 yards in a game. He played for the East squad in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he had 10 carries for 53 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion in a winning effort. In 2019, Henry's #2 jersey was retired by Yulee.

As a track & field athlete, Henry competed as a sprinter at Yulee from 2010 to 2011. He posted a personal-best time of 11.11 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the 2011 FHSAA 2A District 3 Championships, where he placed seventh. Henry was also a member of the 4×100 and 4×400 squads.

At the Nike Football SPARQ Combine in Orlando on February 26, 2012, Henry ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash and recorded a vertical jump of just over 40 inches, earning the highest SPARQ score out of more than 1,300 athletes. Considered a five-star recruit by ESPN.com, Scout.com, and 247Sports (which rated him a 99), he was listed as the No. 1 athlete (player with no designated position) in the nation in 2013. After originally committing to the University of Georgia, Henry committed to the University of Alabama on September 28, 2012. He held offers from many of the top college football programs in the country, including USC, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Florida, and Clemson.

High school statistics

College career

Henry attended and played college football for the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2015 under head coach Nick Saban. He majored in communication. He graduated on May 4, 2018. That same day, he published an article in The Players' Tribune thanking his late grandmother for the inspiration to continue pursuing his degree.

2013 season

As a true freshman in 2013, Henry rushed for 382 yards on 36 carries with three touchdowns in a backfield largely dominated by T. J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake. On October 19, against Arkansas, he had 111 rushing yards and his first collegiate rushing touchdown in the 52–0 victory. During the 2014 Sugar Bowl, he rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on eight carries and had a 61-yard touchdown reception in the 45–31 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. In that game, Spanish-language broadcaster Pablo Viruega on ESPN Deportes nicknamed him "El Tractorcito" (The Little Tractor) due to his long stride and powerful gait. The nickname became a popular internet meme.

2014 season

In the 2014 season, Henry and Yeldon split a majority of the work in the backfield. In the season opener against West Virginia, he had 113 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 33–23 victory in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. On September 20, against Florida, he had 111 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 42–21 victory. On October 18 against Texas A&M, he had 70 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and a 41-yard receiving touchdown in the 59–0 victory. On November 22, against Western Carolina, he had 92 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a nine-yard receiving touchdown in the 48–14 victory. In the annual rivalry game against Auburn, he had 72 rushing yards and a touchdown in the high-scoring 55–44 installment of the rivalry. In the SEC Championship against Missouri, he had 141 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 42–13 victory.