LaDarius Henderson on OT battle: 'You can never be afraid of competition'
As a projected third-round pick by Sports Illustrated in the 2023 NFL Draft, LaDarius Henderson had a legitimate opportunity to go to the NFL, but he chose to return to school, enter the transfer portal and enroll at Michigan.
When Henderson committed to Michigan in December, he was more than aware that he was joining the team that had won back-to-back Joe Moore Awards. In fact, not only was Henderson aware of Michigan's loaded offensive line, but the opportunity to play with the best was something he welcomed.
"I knew if I was gonna go back to college, I wanted to play with the best offensive line, so what guys are better than these guys? So, that's what I wanted to do and I was like, hey, if my mindset was 'If I'm not good enough to play with these guys, then you gotta dig deep a little within yourself,' like, 'I got some getting better to do.' It's never a bad thing to realize you gotta get better."
Henderson didn't like the idea of having a starting job handed to him, and he chose to take the hard path, joining an already stacked offensive line in Ann Arbor.
"I obviously could've gone many a places where it was just, like, handed, and in the recruiting process we talked about competing for it," Henderson said. "I 100 percent knew that that was a possibility."
The 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive lineman was joined by Stanford transfer Myles Hinton as the two tackles transferred to Michigan to compete with fifth-year tackles Karsen Barnhart and Trente Jones.
Both Barnhart and Jones played significant roles for last year's Big Ten Championship team, but Henderson and Hinton welcomed the competition.
"I feel like, as a player, you can never be afraid of competition," Henderson said. "If you are, then you might need to take a look down within yourself."
"I wouldn't be ready for the NFL in the future — or life — if I was afraid of competition."
Although he didn't start in any of Michigan's first three games, Henderson saw significant snaps beginning in the third quarter of Michigan's week 3 win over Bowling Green.
Henderson says the transition from starting to not has been smooth, and he's just focused on getting better every day.
"I got the opportunity to start as a true freshman, and I didn't start the year off starting, but just staying prepared, and trying to be a pro, and just getting better every day. I feel like great things happen when you just try and get better every day. So that's been my focus... and I feel like I'm getting better."
Henderson noted that getting better every day led him to see the field earlier than normal on Saturday.
"I'm never really surprised; I just stay prepared, and whenever things happen, I'm excited that they do happen."
Despite the fierce competition between Henderson and the other tackles, he says the relationship between them is great.
"I feel like we have a really good relationship," Henderson said. "Our offensive line room, from the outside looking in, you would probably think there is a ton of bitterness and all that stuff, but it's not at all. We help each other out... I feel like our relationship is great."
Offensive line coach Sherrone Moore said last week that Michigan had its starting five on the line, but Henderson joined the starters in the third quarter, which could prompt a shakeup on Saturday.
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