Henry taking the time to appreciate his teammates and coaches before making decision

KJ Henry has a decision to make on coming back to Clemson or taking a shot at the NFL.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Dec 31 15:12:03 GMT-04:00 2022

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida – Clemson defensive end KJ Henry says Friday’s loss to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl won’t factor into his decision on whether to turn pro or return for another reason, and right now he simply wants to enjoy the memories of the season.

Henry, thanks to a COVID year, has another year of eligibility remaining should he choose to return. But he also has the opportunity to take his shot in the NFL, something he deserves if he decides to take that path.

The Tigers’ loss to Tennessee Friday night was painful, and Henry could be seen hugging several of his teammates and coaches, but he said he won’t let the loss affect him one way or the other.

“Not at all. That decision time will be made at a later date. Right now it's just about appreciating, like you said, what we've done this year,” Henry said. “Coach Swinney said it in the locker room, 11 great days and three bad ones, and we'd be fools to really just focus on the bad three. As competitors, that's what we're going to do because we just want to win them all. But I'm really proud of this group of players, this coaching staff, really everybody -- we was counted out at the beginning of the year. I look back at some photos I had taken, one commentator picked us to win the ACC and probably nobody had us finishing in the top 10.

“Really just happy. Happy the way these guys fought until the end, and regardless of the outcome, I wouldn't trade one play or one coach for what I was able to be a part of this year. Really was special. I got to appreciate every moment.”

Henry said he felt like the defense played well enough to win against a great Tennessee offense.

“Yeah, great group. First, shout-out to our coaching staff. I definitely feel like we were prepared for at least the tempo aspect of it,” Henry said. “Obviously a great focus that Tennessee does a great job stressing their opponents. I felt very comfortable in that aspect. But with that being said, obviously a physical, big up front. I thought we did a good job from a front seven standpoint of really holding the line and not too many big runs given up, and when there were, it wasn't a matter of physicality, more just us being outside of our gaps.

“They're good enough to capitalize on our mistakes, but also obviously Joe (Milton) is a great player, and that's kind of what I said before the game. A lot of people haven't gotten to see that because he hasn't gotten to play a lot this year, but I was very aware of what he could do. It was a good night, I think, on the defensive side. Obviously could have been much better, but they did a great job of capitalizing on some of the mistakes that we had, and we'll just have to learn from it.”

Before Henry walked out of the room, he said he wanted to take the time to reflect on what might have been his final season and game in a Clemson uniform.

“As for myself, when it comes to this year, like Coach Swinney said, just want to look back and know we got better, know we grew in the right direction. Been a part of a lot of great teams here, and this will go down as one of them, just inside out,” Henry said. “Like Ship (running back Will Shipley) said, all the relationships and all the great moments we've had, the love that had been shared on this team was probably the best and the most genuine out of all my time here. I'll remember all the free popcorn that I could have (laughter) when we had movie nights before the game. I love popcorn. I really appreciate Coach Swinney for allowing that for the team. It's really been a blessing for my life.

“There's just been a lot of great times, and I'll have a lot of time to look back and really enjoy and think about those times.”