Chas Henry - Just for Kicks
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 | Football
By: Joshua Lentine, UF Communications
Legendary punter Ray Guy once said, "Punting is more than just kicking the ball 50-60 yards. It's about helping your team out."
Every year, the nation's top punter is presented with an award in honor of Guy. The award is a testament to a man who was big on talent and full of heart. It represents excellence in performance and a commitment to do anything to help the team win. University of Florida fans should not be surprised that sophomore Chas Henry is a semifinalist for this year's award.
A true team player and fiery competitor, Henry has always known what it takes to win. He was a star quarterback and his team's kicking specialist during his high school days in Dallas, Ga., Henry set kicking records throughout his tenure at East Paulding High, including a long 52-yard field goal and a 66-yard punt rumored to have been slightly melted by the sun before falling to earth. As a senior, he threw for over 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns in an effort which led his team to the Georgia state quarterfinals. His "can-do spirit" made Henry the nation's top kicking recruit in 2006.
Henry has not lost an ounce of that spirit since becoming a Gator. Head coach Urban Meyer testifies that, "The best thing about Chas is his professional approach to college football. I've got my punter. He can throw. He can run. He can do a lot of stuff, including putting the ball anywhere on the field."
In 2007, Henry landed 14 punts inside of the opponents' 20-yard line; even pinning "the school out West" inside its own five-yard line twice. His hang time of nearly five seconds played a large part in his special teams' unit forcing 19 fair catches last season. As a freshman, he set the school record for fewest return yards with 22. His goal for this year… even fewer return yards.
Coach Meyer notices Henry's desire to be-the-best in his candor. "To have a punter look at you on a long punt and ask, 'Do you want me to hit it out of the end zone?' It's like, sure, absolutely. That's like 60 yards."
Henry is well on his way besting his freshman numbers this season. His average has improved over four yards this fall and is among the best in the competition for the Ray Guy Award. Henry's number of touchbacks has drastically increased and established a new career long of 60 yards in the season-opening victory over Hawaii. He is consistently booting the ball over 50 yards and has already matched last year's total number of times that he trapped Florida's opponents inside of their own 20-yard line. All of this has been accomplished with help from several of his teammates.
Henry is the type of man who gives credit where credit is due, to the guys protecting him up front and the gunners getting down field.
"People on the punt team here are often character guys who are going to get his job done. We've got James Smith, Kestahn Moore, Ryan Stamper, Joe Haden… these are the guys we put out there. We don't have our brand-new freshmen out there. It's the upperclassmen who prove to be more dependable right now."
Those men, among others, provide Henry the peace of mind to focus solely on connecting with his kicks. Their accountability and professionalism have aided the Gators' suffocating defense several times this year.
"Every time our team goes out on the field, we try to put the defense in the best situation possible," Henry said.
If the axiom that field position wins games is true, Henry is doing everything in his power to maintain that truth.
"Our team understands how important a big-time return can be and how important it is to take that away from another team. If we go out there, facing a dynamic punt returner, we take a lot of pride in being able to force a fair catch and not allow him to run anywhere. Preventing the big play is critical to keeping the pressure on the opposition and maintaining momentum."
Henry recalls, "A few weeks ago against Georgia, we dropped a kick on the two-yard line, and the guys downed it. Our intensity rose to another level after that."
A skillfully dropped 35-yard punt is exactly the kind of big play that helps deliver spirit crushing blows to Florida's opponents.
With a tremendous amount of skill and heart, Henry became just the second Gator semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award in only his second season. When asked what a certain Florida punter would have to do to leave a legacy like the award's namesake, Henry stated without hesitation, "I want to be remembered as the guy who walked into the big situation, when the team needed something big to happen, and came through. It is my goal to be a part of some moments that provide the spark our team needs to get going. When I can come into situations like that and provide for our team, that would be the legacy I want to leave at Florida."
-UF-
