Fresh Faces: Oklahoma DL Jacob Henry Embracing Return to Football After Year Off

After a year away from football, Jacob Henry is back.

Henry, a 6-0, 285-pound defensive lineman from Austin, is now a walk-on for Oklahoma’s football team after originally coming to OU as a wrestler. He is the son of Mark Henry, a WWE Hall of Famer and two-time Olympian powerlifter.

According to 247Sports, Henry was a 3-star prospect. He earned offers from several small NCAA Division I football programs, including Sam Houston State, Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Austin Peay, but instead opted to wrestle at Oklahoma.

A year away from football was enough to bring Henry back.

“It’s been a blessing,” Henry said. “This team has welcomed me with open arms. A lot of the guys are always checking up on me, asking questions. It means the world. It shows that people care about me. I’m just excited. I haven’t felt this level of excitement in a really long time.”

Though Henry didn’t play football for the Sooners in 2024, he became friends with several of OU’s players, including fellow defensive linemen Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson.

When Henry decided to join the team, those two guided him.

“They’ve actually made this process so much easier, having to learn this playbook and having to learn this system,” Henry said. “They told me they were going to build me up. I feel like the little brother right now, and I’m embracing that role. They’re helping me get to the level that I want to be at.”

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OU’s defensive line is one of its most experienced position groups.

The Sooners return veterans like Jackson, Halton, Damonic Williams, R Mason Thomas and David Stone. They also signed former 5-star prospect Marvin Jones Jr., who previously played at Georgia and Florida State, from the transfer portal.

Though some of OU’s veteran football players have aided Henry’s transition to the team, it hasn’t been easy — but that’s not keeping him down. He still believes that he can eventually be a key player on Oklahoma’s defensive line.

“I have a lot to learn,” Henry said. “Coach (Brent) Venables’ defense is one of the top defenses in the country, and it’s not going to be easy. I have to stay patient but impatient in working.

“I want to learn, I want to soak things up, I want to take advice.”

Mark Henry is known for being a die-hard Texas fan. The wrestling legend often tweets his support for the Longhorns’ athletic programs and celebrates their victories.

Jacob is in the process of converting his father to Crimson and Cream.

“We’re definitely going to get him out here. He told me he’s going to hide a Longhorn shirt under his OU shirt. But I told him, ‘When the camera gets pointed to you, you’re going to be wearing some OU merch on you. You’re going to have the Jordan logo, the OU symbol on you, hopefully a wagon.’ I’ll get him everything we can to get him repping the University of Oklahoma.”