Former Alabama receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. already making a difference at KU
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- Alabama transfer Emmanuel Henderson Jr. scored two TDs in KU's 46-7 win.
- Quarterback Jalon Daniels connected with Henderson for 130 receiving yards.
- Coach Leipold praised Henderson’s speed, improved hands and strong work ethic.
As an accomplished safety at Oklahoma State, Lyrik Rawls was matched against several speedy receivers in both practices and games the past four seasons.
Perhaps none of the players he’s been tasked to cover have possessed the wheels of Kansas senior Emmanuel Henderson Jr. The transfer from Alabama caught six passes for 130 yards and scored his first two touchdowns as a Jayhawk in Friday’s 46-7 rout of Wagner at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Rawls was pleased to watch the 6-1, 180-pound senior from the sidelines Friday rather than trying to guard the elite wideout during the recent preseason training camp.
“He does that every day,” Rawls said Friday, referring to Henderson scoring touchdowns at KU workouts. He caught a 9-yard TD strike from Jalon Daniels to give KU a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and pulled in a 62-yarder from Daniels to give KU a 36-7 advantage early in the third stanza.
“To see him running past people, I’m sure he’ll do that every week. When I first got to practice and had to guard him, one time he burned it down on me. I was like, ‘What was that?’” Rawls said. “Coach was like, ‘Yeah, buckle up. Get ready for that one.’ I said, ‘Yeah I’ve got to try to give me a couple more yards off when I’m on him.’”
Henderson, a native of Hartford, Alabama, had three catches for 24 yards in his Jayhawk debut, a 31-7 win over Fresno State on Aug. 23 at The Booth.
“He’s a speedy guy. He’s a speedster. He has a lot of ability to be able to go out there and outrun a lot of people and I’m glad everybody was able to see that tonight,” said Daniels, who finished with 18 completions on 25 attempts for 280 yards and four TDs. Along with the two TD passes to Henderson, he connected for scores of 20 yards to Cam Pickett and 4 yards to DeShawn Hanika.
KU coach Lance Leipold was pleased to see transfer Henderson reach the end zone for his first two scores as a Jayhawk.
“Again, his explosiveness, ability to get past people (is impressive),” Leipold said. “His hands have gotten extremely more consistent the back half of camp and he’s shown it in these games. He’s made contested catches. He works so hard. He is humble. All our receivers have been unselfish and battle each other. Emmanuel had a big day today.”
Henderson noted to media members he scored his first touchdown Friday since his senior year at Geneva County High School in Hartford, Alabama.
He had four catches for 82 yards last season at ‘Bama. He played special teams during an injury-plagued 2023 with no catches. He had one catch for 14 yards in 2022.
Asked if having the opportunity to be one of KU’s projected top targets is why he transferred to KU, he said: “Most definitely, to make plays and make memories with my teammates. Those memories you have forever. So, you know, just continue to work and have fun with the guys.”
He said he feels he’s improved as a football player in his short time in Lawrence.
“I feel I definitely have developed, not only as a player, but as a leader,” Henderson said. “You know, I’ve learned a lot here, being under coach Leipold, and it’s been great. I appreciate all the fans out there (crowd of 39,129). Many more to come. We’re going to continue to execute and get better each and every week.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2025 at 12:14 AM with the headline "Former Alabama receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. already making a difference at KU."
