New York, NY. — Derrick Henry, 19, of Yulee High School in Yulee, Florida, has been named Player of the Year on PARADE’s 50th annual All-America High School Football Team, published in Sunday’s issue.
The 6-foot-3, 243-pound running back broke a national career rushing record (set by Ken “Sugar Land Express” Hall, also featured in Sunday’s PARADE) that dates back to the Eisenhower era. Through his four years of high school, he amassed a total of 12,124 yards rushing on 1,387 carries.
Derrick may have new-school moves (to go with his collection of 75-plus pairs of sneakers), but he’s got an old-school soul. When he talks about his life, the word blessed comes up a lot. Instead of choosing an out-of-town football powerhouse high school, he stayed put in Yulee (pop. 11,491). “A lot of coaches told him to work hard and stay humble, and he’s listened,” says Yulee head coach Bobby Ramsay. “He took a lot of pride in the fact that he’s helped make Yulee known. We’re just a public high school in the woods. He’s maintained an innocence that is really refreshing,” adds Ramsay.
Known to his family as Shocka—a nickname he earned because his birth (to teenage parents) came as a surprise to his paternal grandmother, Gladys, Derrick already has 17,000 Twitter followers, who know him as King Henry, a moniker that originated with one of his all-time favorite movies, The Lion King. “I still get sad every time I see Mufasa die,” he says.
Next stop: Tuscaloosa, to play for the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. Derrick headed there in January to begin training and course work. He had planned all along to graduate from high school a semester early so that no matter where he went to college, he could get a jump-start on the football playbook and start banking some credit hours. Derrick hopes to play for three seasons before heading to the NFL with a business degree. “I want to make sure I have something I can lean on after football,” he says.
PARADE recognizes 57 players in all—13 players on offense and 13 players on defense, with 31 players receiving Honorable Mention notice. The All-America team is selected by PARADE contributing editor Brian McLaughlin, who covers college recruiting for the Sporting News. In selecting the team, he considered all-state teams, state player of the year honors, and statistics, as well as his own observation at games.
PARADE has a long history of recognizing top football talent. More than a dozen PARADE All-America recipients have won the Heisman Trophy. Some of them include 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, Matt Leinart, Eric Crouch, Chris Weinke, Ron Dayne, Herschel Walker, Charles Woodson, Rashaan Salaam, Marcus Allen, Billy Sims, Tony Dorsett, Steve Spurrier, and Mike Garrett. Some other high profile PARADE All-America honorees include Hall of Famers Earl Campbell, John Elway, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Emmitt Smith.
