LITTLE ROCK -- Pulaski Academy senior tight end Hudson Henry, widely considered to be the top tight end prospect in the country, chose to continue a family tradition on Thursday as he announced his commitment to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The 6-5, 230-pound Bruin is the younger brother of former Arkansas tight end and winner of the 2015 John Mackey Award for the top tight end in college, Hunter Henry, who now plays for the Los Angeles Chargers. The second-round draft pick caught 36 passes for 478 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. He followed his first season with 45 receptions for 579 yards and four touchdowns in 2017 before an offseason ACL injury sidelined him for the start of the current season.
Their grandfather, Skip Coffman, played basketball for Arkansas from 1957-62 and their father, Mark, was a four-year letterman for the Razorbacks in football from 1988-91. Mary Henry played at Little Rock Central, but his three sons, including current Arkansas sophomore linebacker Hayden Henry, all attended Pulaski Academy.
Hudson Henry caught 72 passes for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2017 as Pulaski Academy went 14-0 to win a fourth consecutive Class 5A state championship. The Bruins defeated conference rival Little Rock McClellan, 37-36, in last year's final at War Memorial Stadium. They have beaten McClellan twice and Wynne twice in the last four 5A finals.
More than 30 of the top programs in college football offered scholarships to Henry, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, and Michigan. He announced his top five in May as Arkansas, Clemson, Penn State, Stanford and Wisconsin before further narrowing his top schools to the Razorbacks, Cardinal and the Badgers.
Pulaski Academy (5-1, 3-0 5A-Central) is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A in the most recent Arkansas Sports Media High School. The Bruins' only loss was a 30-22 defeat at Parkway in September in Bossier City, La. They defeated No. 3 Little Rock Christian (5-1, 2-1), 56-14, on Sept. 28.
Henry has 39 receptions this season for 504 yards and five touchdowns. National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, of CBS Sports Network, rates Henry a five-star prospect and the No. 1 tight end in the nation.
"Major catch," Lemming said. "He has the same potential his older brother had at that similar age. Great size, can run, terrific student and a five-star player who can run, catch and block."
Arkansas head coach Chad Morris, hired away from SMU in December, is closing in on what could be the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history. The Razorbacks have received commitments from a number of players rated as four-stars by various recruiting services, but Henry is now the highest-ranked commit in the class.
Wide receiver Trey Knox (6-5, 215) and defensive end Dante Walker (6-3, 240) also committed to Arkansas earlier this month. Both are rated as four-star prospects.
Henry joins an in-state class that includes four-star Warren receiver Treylon Burks (6-3, 225), Warren defensive tackle Marcus Miller (6-5, 300), Joe T. Robinson defensive end Zach Williams (6-4, 235) and Rison athlete Malik Chavis (6-2, 180).
The lead recruiter for Henry was tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr., who also coached Hunter Henry.
Sports on 10/12/2018