There may not be a linebacker rated higher on James Laurinaitis’ recruiting board for the 2027 class than four-star Florida standout Kaden Henderson.
Henderson took his third visit to Ohio State on Tuesday to participate in the Buckeyes’ final camp of the summer and feels like a priority to the Buckeyes’ coaching staff.
“Really the coaching staff,” Henderson told Eleven Warriors of what stands out about OSU on his visits. “I feel like they have one of the best coaching staffs in the nation. Every single (visit) I’m up here I get a little bit of nuggets of knowledge and I get a grasp of how they feel about me and I know I’m definitely a top priority for them.”
Henderson had the chance to learn from Laurinaitis throughout Tuesday’s camp. He excelled in individual drills and was arguably the standout among a strong group of linebackers at that camp.
“I think I did pretty good,” Henderson said after the camp. “I need to improve in a couple spots but overall it was a great workout. I learned a lot about closing ground, getting off blocks and other techniques for sure.”
Laurinaitis identified Henderson as a priority target last fall when he extended an offer to him in October. The pair remains in constant contact.
“We definitely talk weekly, but it’s not always about football,” Henderson said. “We talk about life and about how I’m doing. I’d say we talk between one and two times a week.”
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Henderson is considered the No. 35 prospect in the country and the No. 2 linebacker. In his sophomore season, he recorded 92 tackles, four forced fumbles and an interception. As a freshman, he racked up 85 tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions, six tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
OSU sees the 6-foot-2, 200-pound prospect as a potential future focal point of its defense.
“Just the overall development,” Henderson said of the most appealing aspect of potentially playing for OSU. “Coach Laurinaitis did it all and played in the NFL. They have a great defensive coordinator in Matt Patricia and it’s an overall great place that I can definitely see myself being at.”
Laurinaitis and Patricia haven’t discussed an exact positional fit with Henderson yet, but they feel he can play all over the field.
“They’ve said they can see me everywhere and that I’m very versatile with long arms so I can really play anywhere,” Henderson said. “But really they’ve also said that Mike and Will are really interchangeable to them. They told me when I get here (I’ll just play) wherever they put me.”
Other schools high on Henderson’s list include Florida State, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Tennessee and Oregon. Like most recruits, he says his commitment timeline is probably next summer before his senior year following his official visits. Before then, he hopes to visit OSU again sometime this fall for his fourth trip to campus.
“I’ll definitely be back for sure,” Henderson said. “I’m not sure which one yet, but I’ll definitely be back for a game.”
