Why a New Mexico running back was ruled ineligible this season

A New Mexico running back claims he was led into believing he had an additional year of eligibility remaining before being ruled ineligible this season.

In a post on X, Andrew Henry wrote Tuesday that previous and former members of UNM’s athletic department told the sixth-year running back he was eligible for this season, despite having played in four of five seasons dating to 2019.

“(L)ast season when I suffered (an) injury I was going to redshirt,” he posted, “but (I) was informed by (former UNM head coach Danny Gonzales) and UNM compliance I had (one) more year left after last season. (Three) weeks ago I was informed I had been given incorrect information and that my college career was over.”

A Dallas native, Henry spent time at two junior colleges and the University of Louisiana-Monroe before transferring to UNM in January 2023. He has 1,157 career rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons at the FBS level.

Interim Athletic Director Dave Williams told the Journal it was Henry’s tracer — a tool schools use to share a student-athlete’s academic and athletic history — that had incorrect information: Paperwork originally filed from Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College, where Henry spent his freshman year, indicated he did not use a full year of eligibility in 2019.

Per the school’s website, Henry rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown in seven games with the Greyhounds — enough game appearances to count for a spent year of eligibility. When it was revealed Henry had, in fact, used up a full year of eligibility at Fort Scott, UNM ruled him ineligible.

Henry spent only one season with the Greyhounds before transferring to Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College in 2020 and to ULM in 2021. Fort Scott eliminated its football program in November 2021 due to a lack of resources and the “the changing ethos of football in general.”

Despite the ruling, Henry is being kept on scholarship at UNM and will be allowed to walk on Senior Night. A waiver for an additional year has been denied by the NCAA; an appeal is being filed on Henry’s behalf.

“I feel badly for Andrew,” Williams said, “that his college career ended this way.”

Henry’s complaint stems from his lack of playing time earlier this season. With no carries through the Lobos’ first three games, Henry said he went to UNM’s compliance department to discuss potentially redshirting to preserve a year of eligibility and find a new school.

“I’m like, ‘Hey, this is my last season to play ball,’” he told the Journal. “‘And if we got a new coaching staff and they want to use the younger guys to rebuild the program, me being an older guy, I don’t have that type of time to wait.’”

Henry said a compliance officer mentioned they were under the impression he had previously redshirted, but he told them he hadn’t. Shortly after, he was called into a meeting on Sept. 19 with head coach Bronco Mendenhall and members of UNM’s compliance department.

Henry was told then that he was ineligible due to the revelation he had used a season’s worth of eligibility in his freshman season at Fort Scott, and would not be able to practice or participate in team activities.

When asked why he thought he had an additional season of eligibility, Henry said players on Fort Scott’s roster were at one point offered a “competition waiver” after the program forfeited all of its games in 2019 due to using an ineligible player.

Williams said UNM’s compliance department looked into the waiver and found Henry was not eligible for it because he appeared in seven games.

Henry made a similar request to redshirt last season. After suffering a high ankle sprain during fall camp, Henry missed most of the first quarter of the season and wanted to secure a redshirt or medical hardship year — also known as a medical redshirt. Athletes can log both a redshirt and medical hardship year if approved; Henry said he was open to either. “I just know I didn’t want to waste a year if I was hurt,” he said.

Henry alleged he was told last season by then-head coach Gonzales, now the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Arizona, that he had another year of eligibility and didn’t need to take the year off. Upon checking in with UNM’s compliance office, Henry said they confirmed the same — due to information that was later found to be incorrect.

Henry went on to rush for 350 yards and three touchdowns in nine games with UNM last season. He said he does not blame Gonzales nor the coaching staff for his eligibility issues, but still harbors dreams of playing professional football.

“I just know that I have the potential to go to the next level,” he said. “And me not being able to play a full season is just, it’s not going to be as possible for me to get to the next level.”