Derrick Henry

Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. was born January 4, 1994, in Yulee, Florida, a small town in Nassau County just north of Jacksonville. He was raised primarily by his grandmother Gladys after his mother had him at a young age; that upbringing — close, supportive, and rooted in small-town Northeast Florida — has remained central to Henry's public identity. He has spoken often about his grandmother's influence, and when she passed away during his college years, he dedicated his Heisman Trophy season to her memory.

Henry attended Yulee High School, where he became one of the most statistically dominant high school running backs in American history. He set the national prep football record with 12,124 career rushing yards and was named USA Today Offensive Player of the Year in 2012. At 6'3" and over 240 pounds, with breakaway speed, he was physically unlike any other prospect at his position and committed to Alabama over considerable interest from other national programs.

Henry won the 2015 Heisman Trophy after leading Alabama to the College Football Playoff National Championship, becoming only the second Alabama player to capture the award. His workhorse 2015 season — 2,219 rushing yards on 395 carries — still stands among the great single-season efforts in SEC history. The Tennessee Titans selected him 45th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, initially as Pro Bowler DeMarco Murray's backup.

Henry's pro career blossomed into one of the most dominant runs at his position in NFL history. He won consecutive rushing titles, captured the 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award after rushing for 2,027 yards — one of only nine 2,000-yard seasons in league history — and earned consensus first-team All-Pro honors. His Monday Night stiff-arm of Josh Norman in 2020 became one of the most iconic single plays of the modern era.

After eight seasons in Tennessee, Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024, pairing with Lamar Jackson to form one of the most destructive rushing attacks in NFL history. His combination of breakaway speed for a player his size, punishing contact style, and goal-line dominance has produced multiple rushing titles, Pro Bowl selections, and placement among the greatest pure runners of the past two decades.

Henry has cultivated a quiet public profile, with a disciplined offseason training regimen that has become legendary across the league. He maintains endorsement partnerships with Nike, Subway, Frito-Lay, and others, and he is a visible supporter of causes in his native Yulee community, where he has donated to the local school district and regularly returns to visit. Known for his deep faith and family-first approach, Henry has become one of the most respected veteran leaders in the NFL.