Auburn was considered the school to beat for Elba (Ala.) four-star running back Alvin Henderson for much of his recruitment leading into his decision this April.
Some late momentum swung in the direction of Penn State, however, as the Nittany Lions picked up a major pledge from the 5-foot-9, 195-pounder. The Tigers haven’t taken their foot off the gas, though.
Henderson has been to The Plains plenty throughout his recruitment and has continued to feel like a top priority to head coach Hugh Freeze and RBs coach Derrick Nix. On Thursday, On3’s Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons each logged picks in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) in favor of Auburn flipping Henderson.
Auburn got Henderson back on campus for a quiet unofficial visit last month. Tigers recruiting insider Jeffrey Lee detailed the ongoing push from the AU staff, citing the continued belief that the blue-chip RB was going to land with the in-state school in the end.
“I believe a lot of people close to his recruitment — including myself — believe he’s going to end up at Auburn. Auburn has prioritized him for years, even when Hugh Freeze and Derrick Nix came on. It was kind of a surprise when he committed to Penn State, at least in the days leading up to his commitment,” Lee said on ‘The Inside Scoop’.
“There’s only one setback for him, only one holdup for him and that’s the running back production under Hugh Freeze. He wants to see how they’re going to do that now with Derrick Nix as the offensive coordinator. I think it’s a nine out of 10 for Alvin right now with Auburn, it’s just not a 10,” Lee added. “He’s wanting to see that in this fall and I think he’ll see what he wants to see…ultimately I think he ends up with Auburn, I’m not alone it that. But right now you’ve still got to unseat Penn State from him.”
Henderson’s commitment to PSU boiled down to the relationships he created with the staff in Happy Valley, as well as the tradition the Nittany Lions have forged in the backfield. He broke down his decision to On3 on April 11.
“My three reasons for choosing Penn State are its tradition for running back development that coach Seider and coach Franklin have built, the family feeling that I felt around the campus and the fans when I was there and the opportunities to go there and be successful,” Henderson said.
Auburn currently owns commitments from five of the top 15 players in Alabama this cycle. Henderson, the No. 13 player in-state, No. 8 RB and No. 147 recruit in the On3 Industry Ranking, could be the next to join the Tigers’ top-10 recruiting class.
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