For a majority of schools across the nation, the offseason has begun. Now is the time for shuffling to begin and for several schools to pick up who they want for next season via the NCAA transfer portal, while also welcoming high school recruits to their respective programs.
While the awards section of the offseason has mostly come to a close, Blake Brockermeyer of CBS Sports released his article titled “College Football Top 150 Players of 2025: The names that defined the season,” where one Kansas player made the list.
Coming in at 123rd was Emmanuel Henderson Jr.
Henderson quickly emerged as a fan favorite amongst Kansas supporters as his electric speed and quick acceleration ran defenses silly.
Within the first five games of the season, Henderson had notched five total touchdowns, via four receiving touchdowns and one kick return. It was clear during the early portion of the season, that defenses were underpreparing for Henderson and he took advantage of it with blazing touchdowns that left defenses in the dust as Kansas jumped out to a 3-2 start, where Henderson was a consistent contributor with at least three receptions in each of the first five games, and a staggering 435 yards, including 214 yards in Kansas’ 37-34 loss to Cincinnati.
While Henderson’s catching numbers remained relatively consistent as the season wore on, defenses learned to scheme Henderson out of the game, and his tangible impact slightly wore off. Up until the final game of the season, Henderson totaled 218 more yards and one more touchdown, as Kansas picked up a 2-4 record through that stretch.
On the final day of the regular season, when Kansas needed a win to establish bowl eligibility against No. 13 Utah, Henderson found a strong 113 yards on just three receptions, reminding the nation of his lightning-quick speed, combined with his ability to get under the ball wreaked havoc on the Utes, Kansas struggled to maintain enough momentum and ultimately fell 31-21 to cap off the season.
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