LaDarius Henderson: “It was a no-brainer to go to O-line U”

As Michigan’s incredible 2022 season comes to a close, the Wolverines are now focused on one thing: winning a National Championship in 2023. Over the past few months, Jim Harbaugh and his staff have assembled one of the best transfer classes in the nation — one that includes a variety of extremely talented offensive lineman. Among these offensive lineman is 4-star Arizona State transfer, LaDarius Henderson.

After playing four seasons with the Sun Devils, Henderson is ready to make an impact on the Wolverines’ 2023 roster as U-M pursues another Big Ten Championship this fall.

LaDarius Henderson is ready for Michigan football

A day after the transfer portal opened, LaDarius Henderson had already committed to Michigan football. At the time, U-M was 13-0 overall and coming off of a 45-23 win over Ohio State and a 43-22 win in the Big Ten Championship game. In the coming weeks, Michigan football earned numerous awards, including the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s top offensive line.

The New Family, Let’s Win ? https://t.co/pqko6nGdzJ

— LD Henderson (@ladarius77) December 23, 2022

U-M is the first football program to win the Joe Moore Award in back-to-back seasons, and has established itself as “O-Line U.” Year in and year out, the Wolverines are loaded with offensive line talent and are producing the NFL-ready lineman at an exponentially high rate right now. LaDarius Henderson has all of the tools and drive to be a key contributor on the Wolverines’ offensive line this year and keep the Joe Moore Award in Ann Arbor for the third-straight season.

“I came back to college with the goal of raising my draft stock, which is something that I still intend on doing.” Henderson told CJ Mangum of Blue by Ninety. “But once I committed to Michigan my goals have gotten bigger. Help the guys will the Joe Moore Award three years in a row, and now, win the National Championship.”

Over the past two seasons, Michigan football has been as close as anyone to winning a National Championship. Since the start of 2021, the Wolverines are 25-3 overall with two-straight wins over Ohio State, two-straight Big Ten Championships, and two-straight CFP appearances. Sadly, U-M is yet to reach the National Title game; however, it feels as if it is only a matter of time. Heading into the 2023 season, Michigan football should be an early favorite to run the conference again, and perhaps have another shot at winning it all.

Henderson will be a great fit in the Maize and Blue

Throughout Henderson’s time at Arizona State, he earned numerous accolades both on and off of the football field. Henderson earned four varsity letters with the Sun Devils, was named a team captain in 2022, and only allowed two sacks on 619 pass-blocking attempts from 2021-2022. Additionally, LaDarius Henderson saw action in 33 games, made 29 starts, and earned his bachelor’s degree from ASU in 2022.

Now, as Henderson turns to the final page of his college football career, heading to Ann Arbor just made sense. As a 4-star transfer with proven on-field talent, a sizable frame, and plenty of Power Five experience, Henderson was highly-touted during his short time in the portal. Still, committing to Michigan was a no-brainer.

“I did have a good amount of options once I entered the transfer portal but once I knew I had an opportunity to play at Michigan, I wanted to take it.” Henderson said.  “I love what they do here, from Coach Herbert’s strength staff, to Coach Sherrone Moore’s O-line, to even the play calling. It was a no-brainier for me to go to ‘O-line U.'”

As a fifth-year graduate student, Henderson has many goals when he gets to Ann Arbor, yet making his team better stands out above the rest.

“I do have my own expectations for what I’d like to accomplish as a Wolverine, but I just got here, so my goal right now is to get to know my teammates and be a good teammate for them,” Henderson said.

Right now, it is hard to not be excited for the 2023 Michigan football season even after the Wolverines’ Fiesta Bowl loss on New Year’s Eve. Returning starters such as JJ McCarthy and transfer additions such as LaDarius Henderson will make the Wolverines a dangerous squad yet again, and could be a deciding factor in some of the biggest games of the year.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the incoming transfers for Michigan Football already, and let me tell you how nice these guys are. The ability for this staff to contribute to go into the portal and get elite talent combined with high character is extremely impressive.

— Blue By 90 (@bluebyninety) January 11, 2023

On top of being an incredible fit for the football program, LaDarius Henderson will be a perfect fit for the University of Michigan itself. Henderson’s drive and passion to improve as well as his high character off of the field show that he is a great addition to Harbaugh’s program and its culture of success.