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Baltimore Ravens, NFL Star Derek Henry Nearly Transferred to FSU Football From Alabama
The Florida State running back would've looked a lot different with Henry in garnet and gold.
Dalvin Cook was a superstar running back for Florida State from 2014 to 2016. During his time in Tallahassee, the Seminoles could have been even more stacked at the running back position.
Alabama and current NFL star Derrick Henry revealed on The Pivot Podcast that he nearly transferred to Florida State in college.
"At the time, I was like -- how these kids are now, they go to one school then leave. I was really thinking about going to Florida State. I was almost close to leaving and going to Florida State," Henry said on the podcast.
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Henry was featured at Alabama from 2013 to 2015 where he posted 3,591 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns in his college football career. A majority of his production came in his final campaign with the Crimson Tide before he took off to the NFL as an eventual second-round pick.
"But me and coach [Nick] Saban had a talk and I eventually ended up staying and everything worked out," Henry continued.
While the what-if of Henry joining the Seminoles is an intriguing thought and things would have looked much, much different in Tallahassee, it might have been the best for Henry to remain in Tuscaloosa under the leadership of Saban, arguably the best college football coach of all time.
"It's a process. You come from a small town -- being in high school, you're the man. You were like Superman for your team. It's more to football than handing you the ball and telling you 'Derrick just go. Go score.' You've got to know the fundementals about the game," Henry said of Saban's message to him. "There's just more to it than just handing you the ball and letting you run. And I didn't really understand that."
Now-retired, it's clear the impact Saban had on his players. Had Henry transferred to Tallahassee, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner would have had to share the ball with Cook, who is one of the best Seminoles.
"We had our final conversation about everything -- because I was still indecisive. It was like the night before we played Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl my freshman year," Henry said.
Henry saw just 35 carries in his freshman year, but his sophomore campaign, where he recieved 172 carries, proved that staying might have been the right choice. It's interesting to think about what the Seminoles could have done with the Balitmore Ravens running back. What would it have meant for Cook, who will always be loved by the Seminoles fan base? Would Jimbo Fisher's career in Tallahassee have played out differently? It's certainly a fun what-if.
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the spring.
