Consider Rutgers coach Greg Schiano impressed.
Jacobie Henderson, who transferred in this offseason from Marshall, emerged as a new starter at cornerback last week and had a key pass breakup near the end zone as the Scarlet Knights held off Ohio University, 34-31, last Thursday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway.
As one of the new faces around the team, N.J. Advance Media caught up with Henderson for this week’s Q&A.
The cornerback discussed his eye for preparation, his Rutgers debut and much more — all of which has caught Schiano’s attention.
“He loves football,” Schiano said about Henderson on Monday. “I love coaching guys that love football. He wants to watch tape, talk scheme. He wants to talk about our opponent. He lives it. We needs some guys to follow his way. That’s the kind of preparation and juice that I like to coach. I think he’s been a great addition and hopefully he can pull some with him.”
Question: How did you feel coming off your first game as a Scarlet Knight?
Henderson: “It felt good. It was a good team win. It was fun getting on the field for the first time with my new team, seeing the new fans and seeing how we all came together as one.”
Q: With so many new pieces in the secondary, how did you think it came together as the game went along?
I love coaching Jacobie. He loves football. I love coaching guys that love football. He wants to watch tape, talk scheme. He wants to talk about our opponent. He lives it. We needs some guys to follow his way. That’s the kind of preparation and juice that I like to coach. I think he’s been a great addition and hopefully he can pull some with him.”
Henderson: “I think it went pretty well. For us to be new to each other, first time playing with each other, so I think we played pretty good.”
Q: You made a big stop on third down with a deflection near the end zone. What was it like to make a big play?
Henderson: “It was just fun being back out there and celebrating with the team and making my guys proud.”
Q: Why did you ultimately decide to transfer to Rutgers?
Henderson: “I wanted to come somewhere that was all about ball and find someone who could prepare me for the NFL. When I came here, I talked to coach Schiano and some of the players. Everybody had the same goal in mind, which is they want to win, work hard and get to the NFL.”
Q: Schiano said you live football and called you a film junkie. Do you see yourself as a leader that way?
Henderson: “Film is the best way to prepare for a game so I do watch a lot of film. I take pride in watching film, and that way I might have followers. As long as you’re in the film room, you know what you’re preparing for. We really take pride in our preparation.”
Q: There was a good competition for the cornerback spot between yourself, Al-Shadee Salaam and Bo Mascoe. What was it like competing with those guys and how do you feel about the depth there?
Henderson: “It was fun. Both of those guys are real competitors. That’s all I wanted. That’s what we all are. We like to compete. It doesn’t matter who got on the field first. We all have each other’s back and like to see one another make plays.”
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com.
Read the original article on NJ.com.
Leave a Reply