Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Defensive Lineman Izaiah Henderson

A look at an exciting young defensive lineman who played his high school ball in New Jersey.

The players have returned to campus and we inch closer to the start of the college football season. BC Bulletin will be previewing each player and projecting out their season. In these breakdowns, we discuss what a stellar, standard, and subpar season would look like for them. We are going in numerical order, today we preview defensive lineman Izaiah Henderson.

Izaiah Henderson from Brooklyn, New York came to the Eagles in 2019 after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Middletown, New Jersey. He was a monster in high school, with 60 tackles, nine sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a touchdown his senior year on way to being a USA Today first-team all-state selection.

During his recruiting period he received a three star rating. He was teammates in high school with defensive lineman Shittah Sillah, who also ended up at Boston College. He had an impressive offer sheet that included Michigan State, Purdue, Syracuse, Maryland, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, UCF, Rutgers and a host of other schools. 

2019 was his first season with the Eagles, and he played in four games with BC, which allowed him to keep his redshirt. His biggest game came against Richmond when he logged four tackles. At practices there was a lot of buzz around his play, and this has translated to 2020 where he has already been reported to be making plays at summer camp. Most notably he had a sack of quarterback Phil Jurkovec last week. 

Now with a new head coach, Henderson's role has yet to be defined. It is assumed that TJ Rayam and Chibueze Onwuka will be the starting defensive tackles, with new transfer Luc Bequette filling in as well. But depth is always a good thing for any football team. It helps in case of injury, and allows players to stay fresh. Could this be the year that Izaiah Henderson finds the field in a consistent role? 

Stellar

Henderson gets consistent playing time this season and makes it count. Whether it is as a starter, fill in for injury or situational player, he comes in and impresses. This is big for the young lineman, who puts himself in a position to be the starter in 2021 after the graduations of Rayam, Bequette and Onwuka. 

Standard

Gets in a handful of games, still is part of a rotation on the defensive line. In his first year with meaningful snaps he has a few hiccups, which is to be expected, but shows flashes as well. Readies himself for 2021 when he will battle for one of the starting DT slots. 

Subpar

The depth is too much and Henderson doesn't find much in terms of playing time in 2021. He spends most of the season preparing in practice and growing as a player. 

What kind of season do you expect from Izaiah Henderson?

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