CB Henry commits to West Virginia
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St. Petersburg (Fla.) Gibbs cornerback La’Darius Henry had been leaning toward West Virginia since the Mountaineers first offered him a scholarship during the spring but he wanted to see everything first.
That opportunity happened for the annual Showtime Camp and that was enough to secure a commitment from the versatile defensive back.
“I’m committing to West Virginia,” he said.
Henry, 6-foot-3, 175-pounds, was on campus for a two-day trip in Morgantown and saw everything that he needed to see in order to make things official and offer his pledge to the coaches. But first he had to return home to do it because of his cell-phone reception.
Running backs coach Marquel Blackwell served as the lead recruiter for Henry, but once he was on campus it was a group effort from the Mountaineers assistants to seal the deal.
“The coaching staff. I feel like a family out here, coach Blackwell, coach (Doug) Belk and coach (Tony) Gibson the defensive coordinator,” he said. “They love me, so I love them.”
In fact, it was Gibson that received the news that Henry was ready to formally end his recruitment.
“He said if you’re ready let me know and I told him I was ready,” he said.
This is the second commitment of the process for Henry after first choosing South Florida, but this time around he looks at this pledge as a done deal and he doesn’t anticipate any other trips.
Part of that is because his mother instructed him to take his time this time around and find the place that best fits him. Turns out that place is in the hills of West Virginia.
Blackwell initially recruited Henry at Toledo and after moving to Morgantown, he was one of the first offers extended by the new assistant coach. That stuck with the Rivals.com three-star.
“That showed me he wanted me,” he said.
While he has the ability to lineup at several spots in college, Henry will get his first crack at the cornerback position and part of the intrigue to him is his overall length and speed combination. The Mountaineers visited the defensive back during the spring and was impressed with his skill set.
“My technique. I have to put on more weight but you don’t see a lot of tall corners in the Big 12,” he said. “That’s where the money is at. I want to work at corner.”
A bonus with the pledge of Henry is that he is on track to graduate in January meaning that he will arrive in Morgantown in time to compete in spring ball. That is something that is exciting to both the prospect and the coaching staff as they look to transform his body at the next level.
Needless to say, the plan is to sign in December.
Overall, Henry becomes the 10th commitment for West Virginia in the 2019 class and represents the second true cornerback behind Lawrenceville (Ga.) Central Gwinnett cornerback Nicktroy Fortune.
WVSports.com will have more with Henry in the near future.
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