KANSAS

Kansas Football: Emmanuel Henderson Jr. Flashes No. 1 WR Potential in Win Over Wagner

Kansas football wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. had the best game of his college career thus far on Friday night against Wagner.
Dillon Davis|
Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Kansas Jayhawks

One of the most anticipated transfers for Kansas football this season was wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson.

Henderson transferred from college football powerhouse Alabama to KU this offseason after playing sparingly for the Crimson Tide, despite arriving to Tuscaloosa in 2022 as a highly touted four-star recruit coming out of Geneva County High School in Hartford, Alabama, with offers from Clemson, Auburn, Georgia, and some of the best programs in the country.

Last year for the Crimson Tide, Henderson recorded just four catches for 82 yards and never found the end zone. In his three years at Alabama, he totaled only five catches for 96 yards.

However, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold and his staff saw the talent was there and brought him in to help replace the loss of KU’s long-time wide receiver trio of Luke Grimm, Quentin Skinner, and Lawrence Arnold.

Against Wagner on Friday night, Henderson looked every bit the part of the No. 1 wide receiver they hoped he would be. His speed and athleticism were on full display as he reeled in six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns – including a 62-yard bomb from quarterback Jalon Daniels.

It was a big night for Henderson and easily the best single-game performance of his entire college career. If he can build upon this momentum, it will be a huge win for the Kansas offense and their passing game moving forward.

The running game is in really good hands with established veteran running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. and the legs of Daniels – and we knew it would be coming into the season.

The wide receivers were one of the question marks after bringing in so many new transfers to this year’s team along with Henderson, including Cam Pickett (Ball State), Bryson Canty (Columbia), Levi Wentz (Albany), and Jaidyn Doss (Nebraska).

If Henderson is able to step up and be that No. 1 wide receiver, that will create opportunities for other wideouts like Pickett – who has shown flashes of his potential with three touchdowns already this season. It will also take pressure off of the running back group to carry the load each game and keep Hishaw’s legs fresh throughout the entire season.

Most importantly, it would give Daniels a true go-to target who he could rely on in big moments to make a play and score a touchdown when the team needs it most.

Henderson has all the ability in the world to be that player, and hopefully last night’s game was just a preview of what’s to come this season.

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Dillon Davis
DILLON DAVIS

Being a Kansas Jayhawks fan was never a choice for me. I grew up in Topeka, Kansas, surrounded by a family full of Jayhawks. I was even born during a Kansas basketball NCAA Tournament game, so I guess you could say it was fate for me to be a Jayhawk too. When it came time for me to go to college, there was only one place I applied and only one place I wanted to go – KU. I've since turned that passion into sports writing. I've written about KU sports for more than seven years and produced hundreds of KU news articles in that time. I love storytelling, I love KU and I love interacting with my fellow Jayhawks. Rock Chalk!

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