Josh Henderson emerging as playmaker for Indiana football: ‘He just goes out and does his job.’

BLOOMINGTON — Connor Bazelak could tell it was bothering Josh Henderson. During IU's game against Cincinnati, Henderson let a defender in while pass protecting. Henderson later talked to Bazelak about it. The moment stuck with IU's quarterback enough to recall it at a news conference.

“He cares,” Bazelak said of Henderson. “He wants to be great.”

Said Henderson: “I want to be able to prove to the whole team and Connor and the coaches that I can be held accountable. And that was me just being tough on myself as I feel like you should be as a player when you do something bad. Just fix it and get it right.”

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The North Carolina transfer running back has left an impression on those around him not only with his play but also with the way he carries himself. Henderson has emerged as an increasingly important playmaker in IU's offense this season. He has 181 rushing yards and 120 receiving yards, plus three total touchdowns. IU coach Tom Allen said Henderson has a “quiet confidence.” “Very quiet,” receiver Emery Simmons said, “but hard-working.” This comment from tight end AJ Barner about Henderson — given the monotony of blocking — is telling: “A guy that I love blocking for.”

“It was a quiet confidence,” said Todd Smith, coach at The Hun School (NJ). “He wasn’t a cocky kid. You didn’t have to worry about his attitude. I think that’s what he’s taken with him, right? He doesn’t have to talk junk on the field or talk smack to anyone. He just goes out and does his job and does it well and lets his play speak for him.”

Family and faith are big parts of Henderson’s life. “I play for God, my family, my dad,” Henderson said. His mother was born in Barbados but left when she was 16 years old. She went on to attend Rutgers and then Villanova School of Law. "She made a great name for herself at a really young age," Henderson said. She now works as a Superior Court judge. Henderson's father, too, has been a significant influence in his life. Growing up, Henderson saw his father tired, worn down from working as a technician for Verizon, but still made it to practices and games.

“One thing my dad always told me was if you want something, you have to work for it,” Henderson said. “Whether it was at practice and I was a little kid, like he would hold me accountable to put my best effort out, regardless of how old I was. He was always my biggest supporter, but he’d always tell me if I did something wrong and that’s something that I feel like is really important to have if you want to be a really good player. So he’s still doing that for me today.”

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After being a standout at The Hun School, Henderson started his college career at North Carolina. During his time with the Tar Heels, Henderson rushed for 209 yards (he entered the transfer portal during his third season). But during his career there, he was in a position group that featured a bounty of talent, which — during his first two seasons — included future NFL running backs Michael Carter and Javonte Williams. “To still see him go out there and not pout, not show any emotion, not shy away from anybody or anything and still act the same is amazing,” said Simmons, who was teammates with Henderson at UNC, before they both transferred to IU. “Like that’s a great player in my eyes.”

“I think the main thing I took away from the experience was that I was behind some really good backs and I just learned from them,” Henderson said. “… They’re all so different and to be able to sit back and learn from all them is something not a lot of people get to see. So taking in information from them and tips from them is something that helped me get better as a player.”

This season, Henderson has been one of the bright spots in IU's inconsistent offense. He has worked his way into being somewhat of a two-headed monster along with running back Shaun Shivers. A dynamic like that could create animosity, but the way that Shivers speaks about Henderson is revealing of their relationship.

“If I’m in the game, he’s not like getting mad or anything,” Shivers said. “Just showing genuine love when I’m out there... Whoever’s going in each drive, we always encourage each other, we’ll do a handshake before the play or (do) like ‘let’s go.’”

Henderson’s running style, described by Smith, is “patient, physical,” which seems on point given what we’ve seen at IU this season. In fact, Henderson loves the UFC, and even plays the video game version against Simmons. That doesn’t, however, mean Henderson isn’t nimble. Against Western Kentucky, Henderson reached out and hauled in a one-handed catch, before running through a defender for a big gain.

Through five games this season, IU is 3-2 and figures to have an uphill battle the rest of the way. There, too, are many flaws in the offense, but Henderson has emerged as an exciting part of the unit. The patience from his time at UNC is now paying off.

“For him to still come in and work hard, do what he’s supposed to do even though he knows the chances of him getting in is very slim at that point in time, that’s a heck of a player to me,” Simmons said, still gushing about how Henderson dealt with adversity at UNC. “Like that shows you got heart. You can withstand anything at that point. If you can battle through that, especially him, for like three years, and then be able to come here and now you start to reap the fruits of your labor like that says a lot... I got the utmost respect for Josh.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU football: UNC transfer RB Josh Henderson impressing Indiana coaches