Tennessee football will welcome back one of the greatest players in its storied history on Saturday when the Vols meet Georgia. John Henderson, a dominant defensive lineman for UT from 1998-2001, will be honored after being named a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
“It’s a great weekend, opportunity for (ESPN College) GameDay to be here on the greatest stage in college football,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “And while that’s going on, get a chance to also recognize and welcome back one of our own, John Henderson, College Football Hall of Famer, one of the greatest to have ever played the position and certainly one of the greats here. It will be great to have a bunch of his teammates back here as we get a chance to celebrate him, too.”
Inside Neyland Stadium, you may notice some temporary No. 98 signage along the sidelines this year. No, that isn’t to honor the 1998 national title team; it’s for his signature No. 98. Tennessee has recently done the same with Al Wilson and Eric Berry for their College Football Hall of Fame inductions.
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Henderson was a true freshman on the 1998 title team, considered a ‘partial qualifier’ that was ‘ineligible for competition.’ As a sophomore, he played in 12 games and started in eight. He posted four sacks on the year, including three in a single game against Kentucky.
In 2000, he broke out onto the national stage. A 12-game starter, he produced 71 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and nine quarterback pressures. The result was earning the Outland Trophy, being named a Consensus All-American and to the All-SEC First-Team.
The following 2001 season, Henderson battled an ankle injury but still managed 48 tackles, four tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He was a unanimous All-American and First-Team All-SEC member.
Henderson went on to be selected with the ninth-overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft following the season. He played for the Jaguars from 2002-09 and the Raiders from 2010-11, while making two Pro Bowls.
