It’s not like TreVeyon Henderson’s breakout freshman season took place in the distant past.
At this time a year ago, Henderson was fresh off a record-setting 1,560-yard, 19-touchdown campaign that trumpeted the arrival of a potential college football superstar. If the Virginia native could put up those kinds of numbers as a 19-year-old, just imagine what he’d accomplish over the rest of his collegiate career.
A year later, Henderson feels like those memories have already started to fade for Buckeye fans and college football pundits. Injuries stopped Henderson from approaching the success he enjoyed as a first-year Buckeye in season two. But that’s made him all the more eager to remind any detractors what he’s capable of in 2023.
“I'm gonna come back with a chip on my shoulder, man. I think a lot of people forgot what a healthy TreVeyon Henderson can do,” Henderson said during Peach Bowl media day in Atlanta in December. “So I'm gonna definitely come back with a chip on my shoulder. I'm gonna work my ass off next season. I can't wait.”
Henderson will still have to wait a while to get back on the gridiron. After missing the final two games of the 2022 season due to a fracture and torn ligament in his left foot, Henderson has already been ruled out for spring practices. Henderson underwent surgery at the conclusion of the regular season and had to watch Ohio State’s College Football Playoff matchup from the sideline in a boot.
Henderson wasn’t happy about watching his team lose the two biggest games of the season from the sideline. And he wasn’t all that pleased with his production when he was on the field, either. Henderson finished with 599 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns in eight games – all significant drop-offs from his year one numbers, even if injuries were a chief reason why.
Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford said all of the above will be motivating factors for Henderson’s return to action this season.
“I'm gonna come back with a chip on my shoulder, man. I think a lot of people forgot what a healthy TreVeyon Henderson can do.”– TreVeyon Henderson
“I think Tre's got to get back out and start playing again, and that confidence will come back,” Alford said during an interview session at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Feb. 1. “Tre's a very confident guy and he's a very goal-oriented guy. And I know, for lack of a better term, it bothered him greatly not to be able to play and perform at a high level. He'll use that as a motivation, just knowing the young guy like I do. He'll use that as big motivation to come back.”
Alford said he’s been given every indication that Henderson is “doing great” in his recovery, and that he’ll “definitely be ready by the summer” if he can’t participate in spring activities. But some of the finer details about Henderson’s timeline will remain “between him and the doctors.”
While Henderson might be champing at the bit to get back on the field, Alford said keeping his pupil from biting off more than he can chew will be just as important. Alford doesn’t want Henderson to try and rush back before he’s completely rehabilitated and risk compromising his health even further.
“The biggest thing we've got to guard against with him is making sure that he's taking the time that he needs to take, with the doctors telling him not trying to do too much too fast and setting himself back,” Alford said. “Because he's ready to go, and he's very excited to kind of get going again.”
Ohio State is hardly lacking options at running back behind Henderson. Returning RBs Miyan Williams and Dallan Hayden both started games in 2022, Chip Trayanum will remain in the position room after switching over from linebacker during the season and Evan Pryor – who missed all of 2022 with an ACL tear – is expected to be healthy by the start of the season.
Henderson had to go from leading that group on the field to helping them prepare in his stead during this past season, and amid rehab this spring, he’ll have to do more of the same.
“The way that I've done it, we have done it, those kids still come to meetings, they still do everything that we do, because he's still a part of it,” Alford said. “It's not like you're banished to Siberia and never coming back. So we still have to stay engaged because when you do get back, we're not gonna try to have to reteach it in the things that we're doing. So stay engaged. And for someone like Tre, who played a lot of ball obviously, he can be a great help for Dallan and guys like that.”
Once Henderson is back to 100%, there’s little doubt he’ll look to hit the ground running to make up for lost time in preparation for his junior season. As good as the Buckeye offense could be with any of the aforementioned rushers in the backfield, it may be at its best with a healthy Henderson taking handoffs.
And he’ll try to prove that once he gets back on the field.
“I try to stay very attuned to my guys individually about what's going on in their lives and going on in their heart and soul what they're thinking and things of that nature,” Alford said. “So I can tell you this, he's excited to kind of get himself back going again.”