Web Posted: 01/05/2010
All-American Bowl: Big love for Henderson
By Dan McCarney - Express-News
For most offensive linemen, anonymity is part of the job description.
Most offensive linemen, however, aren't Seantrel Henderson.
A 6-foot-8, 350-pound left tackle from Minnesota, Henderson has earned a slew of distinctions normally showered on the sport's more glamorous positions. More specifically, just about any but his.
Henderson, who will start for the West on Saturday in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, was recently named USA Today's Offensive Player of the Year, the first time in the award's 28-year history that an offensive lineman has been honored.
He is also the first offensive lineman to be rated as the top recruit in the country by Rivals.com, an honor previously given to game-breakers such as Vince Young, Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin.
?I would say it's been real cool,? said Henderson, who has yet to choose a school from a list of suitors including Florida, Southern California, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
?I like representing the linemen, being a big part of everything. All the attention I get, it just gives offensive linemen more attention, and I like that.?
Tom Lemming, now in his 31st season assessing national high-school talent, considered Henderson the nation's top offensive lineman back in 2007, when he was a sophomore.
Barring injuries or indiscipline, Lemming said Henderson ? whose quick feet and all-around athleticism are just as much a part of his game as his gigantic size and wingspan ? could one day be mentioned in the same breath as NFL stars Orlando Pace and Joe Thomas.
?If he keeps working, he's going to be agreat player,? Lemming said. ?He's a prototypical (left) tackle, the kind you draw up on a drawing board.?
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Henderson received his first scholarship offers, from Minnesota and Notre Dame, as a ninth-grader, before he'd played a single varsity down at St. Paul's Cretin-Durham High.
Andy Bischoff, who coached Henderson at Cretin-Durham during his first two seasons, developed 18 Division I-A linemen during his 12 seasons at the school. Henderson was a lock to join that pantheon from the moment he stepped on campus.
?Since then, he's only added weight to an already large body,? Bischoff said. ?But the thing you notice is how athletic he is. There was a time he actually wanted to pursue basketball, but his body kind of took over. You wonder how in the world he can move like he does.?
Now, Henderson must deal with the greatest challenge yet ? fulfilling his vast potential.
?I just try to stay focused knowing that everybody is watching me,? Henderson said. ?If I make a mistake, I just try to shake it off and keep it moving.?