After Shrine Bowl ‘blessing,’ former New Mexico RB Andrew Henry vies for NFL future

To Andrew Henry, it was never a matter of if things would come together. It was simply a matter of when.

His last month might be the most compelling evidence so far.

Henry, a former New Mexico running back, rushed for 68 yards on 11 carries and caught one pass on Jan. 30 to help power the East to a dominant 25-0 win in the East-West Shrine Bowl, one of college football’s most prominent all-star games. As a late fill-in, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Dallas native notably broke off the longest play of the game, taking a handoff 36 yards to help set up an East score in the third quarter.

“It really was a blessing,” Henry told the Journal. “It really lets me know that everything will line up and (even though) a lot of things are out of our control as athletes … God is on my side and controlling the bigger picture.”

Even if things were a little more rocky than he might have preferred.

In late January, Henry was preparing for an uncertain, if promising, professional future. Only a few months removed from being rendered ineligible at UNM due to issues with his NCAA tracer, he was busy training for an opportunity at the next level when he received a call from his agent.

“He was like, ‘you sitting down?’ I’m like, ‘no, lemme sit down right now,’” Henry remembered. “And he was like, ‘I got some good news. They say if you’re ready and you want it, they would love to bring you in for the Shrine Bowl.”

The only problem? With the game only two days away, Henry was unlikely to get any practice time with a whole new roster and coaching staff as a fill-in.

“He’s like, ‘if you feel like you’re not ready, it’s OK,’” Henry continued. “And I told him I been ready to play (for) three months.”

The next day, Henry arrived at the practice facility and reviewed film with the East coaching staff before studying a condensed playbook “all night.” He continued to work with the staff as the rest of his teammates attended a pregame ceremony, later turning in an eye-catching effort.

And with a familiar face on hand, too: Former UNM running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the East with 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns, alternating series and plays with Henry.

“Just for us to go out there and do what we would have done this whole season was just a (testament) to both of us,” Henry said of Croskey-Merritt, who’s final season at Arizona was cut short, also due to eligibility concerns.

Since the Shrine Bowl, Henry said he’s received calls and texts from inquiring teams, with the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and his hometown Dallas Cowboys among them. He’s projected to be on the outside looking in to get selected in the NFL Draft — headlined by Boise State product Ashton Jeanty, this year’s running back class might be the deepest in recent memory.

But to Henry, it’s only a matter of when he finds his next opportunity.

“It just felt like everything was falling into place, and it felt like what was meant to be was meant to be,” Henry said. “And that opportunity I’ve been waiting for and looking for came.”