Michigan redshirt junior defensive lineman Willie Henry, who rose to All-Big Ten status this season, has announced on Twitter than he's going to forego his final year of eligibility at Michigan and move on to the NFL.
Henry said the following on his Twitter account:
“To My Michigan Coaches, Teammates and awesome Fans,
“We’ve had a long exciting journey together. For the past few years at the University and all of you have been like a second family to me. I can’t than you enough for that. We shared many heartbreaks but more often than that amazing times together.
“It helped to shape the player that I am today. Nevertheless my time as a student athlete has come to [an] end. I have decided to continue my football career in a more professional direction.
“This decision wasn’t easy. My family and I thought that this was the right time and choice for me. I want to express my gratitude to all of the coaching staff that I had the pleasure of working with throughout my time here at Michigan.
“This began with the coaching staff that was here with Brady Hoke (who is a great man and mentor) and the praiseworthy staff that is here now whom I had the benefit of sharing my most memorable season. I’ve learned valuable lessons from them and I’m grateful for that.
“To my teammates, we have experienced many trials and tribulations on and off the field. I wouldn't change a thing.
“Lastly, I would like to thank the loyal and spectacular fans of Michigan! I can’t even begin to thank all of you enough. There is no place like the BIG HOUSE and nothing I’ve done thus far has given me so much pleasure than playing for you.
“The satisfaction of knowing that the true Michigan Wolverines fans never wavered and had our backs. This made it easier for me personally to play at my best. So to Michigan I say, goodbye knowing you all have given me an experience of a lifetime that I will cherish forever.
“Go Blue!”
Analysis: The 6-3, 311-pounder started 10 of 13 games this season for the Wolverines, tying for the team lead in sacks with 6.5 and ranking second in tackles for loss with 10.0 among his 34 total stops.
In a three-year career, he appeared in 36 games, starting 23, recording 10 sacks and 18.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage among his 86 total tackles.
With his size, strength and versatility -- he could play inside or outside, in a 3-4 or a 4-3 -- Henry could be a second- or third-round pick in April, according to CBSSports.com NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler.
"He's a top-100 guy," Brugler wrote to TheWolverine.com this evening. "Need to study more of him but I'm really encouraged by what I've seen so far."
His departure is obviously a big loss for the Wolverines as Henry had become one of Michigan's best defensive players in 2015 and was poised to have an All-American-type campaign in his senior season.
The Maize and Blue do return a bevy of defensive linemen, including future fifth-year seniors Chris Wormley and Ryan Glasgow, senior Taco Charlton, redshirt junior Maurice Hurst and redshirt sophomore Bryan Mone, but this is a blow to a defense that relies heavily on rotating its linemen, creating situations in which the Wolverines are always fresh and the offensive line is tiring.
Michael Spath shares some more thoughts on Henry leaving, including what this means for Michigan's defensive line rotation next season and what it could mean for U-M's fifth-year seniors.
