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When I think of John Henderson, it’s in the context of being among the handful of the best players I witnessed in 34 years of covering University of Tennessee football.
Give me Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler, Eric Berry, Carl Pickens and Henderson. (I know, Al Wilson would like a word. Dale Carter, too.)
I thought of Big John last week when the College Football Hall of Fame announced he’s on the ballot for the class of 2025.
The college football news cycle runs year-round. Here in early June we have the 2025 Hall of Fame candidates to ponder. Never mind that the 2024 class won’t be inducted for another six months.
Tennessee has a considerable presence among the 1,903 players inducted in the Hall – which I recommend as a worthwhile visit in Atlanta. Wilson and Berry are recent inductees.
The 2025 ballot includes 77 FBS players. Among them are UT holdovers Larry Seivers from the 1970s and Willie Gault from the ‘80s. Head coach Josh Heupel returns to the ballot for a fifth year, based on his career as an Oklahoma quarterback.
This is Henderson’s debut on the ballot. It’s about time.
Henderson was the best defensive lineman I watched during my years on the Vol beat. (For the record, my coverage began the year after Reggie White left.)
Big John was academically ineligible as a freshman during the 1998 national championship season. From 1999-2001, he was a game-changer in the trenches. He won the Outland Trophy in 2000 and was SEC defensive player of the year.
So, from a Tennessee standpoint, that’s four candidates to root for to make the class of ‘25: three VFLs and the head coach.
As a nod to Johnny Majors, I’ll pull for Matt Cavanaugh, the Pittsburgh quarterback who led Majors’ 1976 national championship team and set up the coach’s return to the Vols the following year.
There is also a coaches’ ballot. Any…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tennessees-john-henderson-best-defensive-090637327.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-06-12 09:06:37
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