Henry hopes to join Shannon Brown.....in Athens
Linebacker Shannon Brown exploded onto the scene as a freshman for Cook County, and early offers soon followed. For Cook rising senior Travin Henry, his recruitment has taken a little longer to develop.
Schools are just now finding out about Cook County athlete Travin Henry. Jacksonville State, Delaware State and Georgia State have offered so far, with UAB, South Carolina, UCF and Middle Tennessee close to offering as well. While Henry is now emerging onto the recruiting scene, the University of Georgia has known about him for a couple of years.
Advertisement
"Georgia first starting showing interest in me at the end of my freshman year," said Cook County athlete Travin Henry. "Coach Mike Bobo came by the school, and I got to shake his hand and introduce myself."
Last fall, Henry emerged as one of the better players in South Georgia, racking up 11 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and four pass deflections at defensive end. Coach Todd Grantham and the Bulldog staff invited Henry to his first college camp last month.
"I started out at wide receiver at the Mark Richt camp, but then Coach Grantham put me at outside linebacker. That was my first college camp, and I enjoyed it. Being in front of the coaches made me compete harder and I also felt comfortable working under them," said Henry.
Working out at outside linebacker is new to the 6-foot-3, 213-pound Adel area standout, but he said the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator helped him learn a lot about playing the position.
"They like me at outside linebacker, but I am not used to it as much as wide receiver because I play defensive end at my high school. Coach Grantham is a really good coach, and someone I could definitely see myself playing for in college. He made it easier to learn about playing linebacker," explained Henry.
At Dawg Night, Henry once again got the chance to work out with Coach Grantham in Athens. After his second time at outside linebacker, Henry got some encouraging news.
"While the first camp was more competitive, I enjoyed being on the game field at night in front of the coaches at Dawg Night. They put me with the linebackers the entire camp and Coach Grantham told me after that he really liked me as a player. They told me after that once I sent them some film of my first few games this season, then I would be able to pick up that offer," said Henry.
The possibility of playing Between the Hedges has recently added another benefit for Henry, and that is the chance to reunite with former four star linebacker Shannon Brown. Henry confirmed what has been projected by UGASports for months.
"Yes Shannon plans to be at Georgia," revealed Henry. "I talk to him every day, and he told me UGA was the way he was going to go. I told him if he was going to UGA, I would go too if they offered. Me and him are really close, and we talk a lot. Georgia is where he plans to end up right now, and that is all because of Coach Todd Grantham."
Henry explained how the former Dallas Cowboys' defensive line coach was able to reel in Brown, a big time Peach State prospect who is expected to arrive at Georgia Military college early in August.
"Coach Grantham is what made him change his mind on going to Georgia instead of Alabama. Shannon says he is a good coach who kept in touch with him every day. He said he was relentless, and he feels we could both learn a lot under him," said Henry.
The talented Cook County duo took the Hornets to a perfect regular season record, and almost took down the state champion Buford Wolves in the third round of the playoffs. The defense was stout all season long, only allowing 20 points or more twice (21 and 23), both occurring in the playoffs. Henry hopes to continue that defensive dominance alongside Brown in Athens if possible.
"That would be great if we could both play together again, and we would make a lot of plays together just like we did in high school. If Georgia offers, I would be turning flips. I am really looking forward to earning the offer this season. My coaches have told me to be patient and know that if I am the big time player this year that the offers will come," said Henry.
Whatever school gets Henry will get a promising athlete with good size and potential. But do not look for Henry to try and hog the spotlight for whichever program he plays for.
"I am a team player who is all about my team winning. That is number one. I really do not care about the stats or who is winning awards, I just want my team to win," said Henry.
UGASports provides unparalleled Georgia Bulldog team and recruiting news. With fall camp only days away, the current player and future prospect updates are coming fast and furious. As we near the kickoff for the 2011 season, UGASports is experiencing a record high number of subscribers. And now, for a limited time, you too can see why the most passionate fans in the Bulldog Nation turn to the industry leader for breaking news and in-depth analysis. Take advantage of our seven day free trial offer now by clicking here.
Kipp Adams is
the football recruiting writer for UGASports
and he can be reached via email at kippladams@gmail.com.
target="_new" rel="nofollow"> Follow Kipp Adams on Twitter