CJ Henderson finished his UF degree in educational sciences this spring. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Man of Goals: Henderson Accomplishes a Big One
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The one-year anniversary of CJ Henderson receiving a call from the Jacksonville Jaguars to inform him that he was the ninth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft was Friday.
It was a dream-come-true moment for Henderson, the former Gators cornerback who blossomed into a coveted college recruit as a running back at Miami's Columbus High. Playing in the NFL had been a goal of his since he first learned how to strap on a helmet.
Of course, thousands of kids in cleats have that same vision each year and only a handful make it. The ones who do are often uniquely talented and driven.
Chris Henderson Sr., CJ's father, recalls CJ being that way. He kept a diary that listed his goals prior to each game, even when he first started playing in the youth leagues around Dade County.
Beat Liberty City.
Beat Palmetto Bay.
Score a touchdown.
More than a decade later, CJ remains goal-oriented and has a new one to cross off his list: University of Florida graduate. Henderson completed the requirements for his degree in educational sciences this spring and spent part of this week trying to figure out plans for his graduation ceremony.
"That was an accomplishment I wanted to achieve,'' Henderson said Tuesday.
Henderson opted to forego his senior season at UF to prepare for the NFL Draft at the end of the 2019 regular season. He did not play in Florida's victory over Virginia in the Orange Bowl. However, throughout the draft process last spring, his first summer in the NFL, his rookie season with the Jaguars and into the Spring 2021 semester, Henderson has taken classes to complete his required coursework.
Henderson's father, who played at Miami Southridge in the early 1990s under legendary South Florida coach Don Soldinger, understood instantly the task his oldest son planned to take on. As CJ crosses the finish line, his dad is clapping somewhere off to the side.
"I'm definitely in awe of it, because I know how hard it is just to be trying to compete in the league for the first year,'' Chris Henderson Sr. said. "Some take a break or whatever. I'm just proud of him, the way he stuck with it. The corona year made it even tougher.
"It was a learning year."
CJ Henderson played for the Gators from 2017-19 and is now in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
CJ never took a semester off since his final play in a Gators uniform and even paid for his own classes when the NFL paused its tuition-reimbursement program due to the global coronavirus pandemic. He said he would study and take classes on off-days and during bye weeks during the season. Once the season ended and his focus was physical rehab, he had more time away from the field.
Still, Henderson had to stay engaged academically at a time in a 22-year-old's life that includes uncommon distractions for typical college students.
"I can't remember a kid that has done that in the past since I've been here,'' said Tony Meacham, assistant director for academic services at the University Athletic Association. "They usually will get with us the spring after their first year and will want to take some classes. To his credit, he was willing to put in the work besides the work he was putting in on the field. You think someone in his position would be glued to football, but he was doing both.
"It was very impressive for someone to do that in his position."
Ask Henderson why he pushed himself to study and take classes as an NFL rookie, and you get an answer that could translate into a brief diary entry.
Finish college now, don't put off.
"I just wanted to get it out of the way rather than wait until later and come back and do it,'' he said.
Henderson played in eight games as a rookie, finishing with 36 tackles, an interception and one forced fumble. A groin injury ended his season prematurely, but Henderson figures prominently into Jacksonville's defensive plans under first-year head coach Urban Meyer if he is healthy.
Henderson remains the soft-spoken, quiet player Gators fans became accustomed to. He is a man of few words when talking about himself.
"He's always been,'' his dad said.
After a couple of more questions, CJ offered that his taking the road less traveled to a college degree "hasn't hit me too much yet."
Well, it's high-fived his dad and the rest of the family.
"I think it's a huge accomplishment and fulfills another one of his goals," Chris Henderson Sr. said. "Most athletes at his level have a lot of goals they want to achieve. Hopefully that will translate to the field and open up his next set of goals."
Maybe CJ has already written them down in a diary.
