Name: Troy Henderson
Position: Middle Linebacker
Year: Freshman
Height: 5-11
Weight: 225
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
High School: St. Edward
2014 Stats: During his senior year, Henderson earned first-team all-district honors for recording 171 tackles including 17.0 tackles for loss and five sacks while leading St. Edward to a 13-2 record and the Division 1 State Championship. He was also a senior team captain.
2015 Projections: Henderson is second on the preseason depth chart at middle linebacker, behind sophomore Zaire Franklin.
How'd He Get Here: He had offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Kent State, Nebraska, Ohio, Rutgers (SUNJ), Toledo, and Western Michigan. With all of those offers, his visits to the Syracuse campus made a huge impact on his decision to pick the Orange in the end.
What'd Recruiting Sites Say: Henderson received three stars across the board from Scout, Rivals, ESPN, and 24/7.
Money Quote: Last season, Henderson would be the go-to guy when the defense would need to adjust to the formation the opponent's offense would come out with.
"It's my defense," Henderson said (before the Division 1 State Championship game). "I make the calls, the checks, audible the defense when it's needed."
Links of Wonder: This year's Fanfest saw a bit of everything: some of the good, some of the bad, and some of the ugly. Henderson was on the "good" side of things, showing some flashes of what could be this upcoming season as a backup MLB.
Twitterfeed: His handle is @_Troy3, but his account is private (dang it, Troy!).
Tweets of Wonder: Not a tweet, but Henderson committed with a bowl of oranges with a video to prove it on Instagram:
What Does the Coaching Staff Think of Him: Linebackers coach Clark Lea had this to say about Henderson in July:
"He's got the ability, the energy and the charisma to have the command that Zaire (Franklin) has," Lea said. "You watch his game and there were some really neat plays where he presses the line of scrimmage, accelerates and finishes the tackle."
Interesting Nugget O' Interest: After squashing the rumors about them being related, we learned that Troy's grandfather and Ernie Davis grew-up together, across the street from each other. Davis was like a younger brother to him, they were so close.
Let's Get A Good Look Atcha: