Newton High School linebacker Jaquan Henderson had to do some soul searching before he committed to Georgia Tech.
Henderson, from Covington, Ga., always wanted to play college football in his home state, but the 3-star senior verbally committed to Tennessee in June 2016 after an unofficial visit.
After committing to Tennessee and another unofficial visit in October, Henderson started to seriously pursue other options.
When January came around, the 6-foot-1, 197 pound senior decided one of his official visits would be to Georgia Tech on January 22.
"To be honest from day one, I knew I wanted to go to Georgia Tech — I knew that I would wait for my official to flip," Henderson said to the AJC in January. "My official visit, it was great. Hands down was the best official visit I had. Hands down. It meant a lot to me."
During his official visit, Henderson said he was recruited by fellow signing class member from Douglasville Jaytlin Askew. Askew enrolled in Tech a semester early and took time during the weekend of Jan. 20 to sway Henderson toward Tech.
It worked.
By the end of the visit, Henderson gave his verbal commitment to Tech coach Paul Johnson.
Nearly four months after flipping his commitment, Henderson doesn’t second guess turning Tennessee down.
"That day I made the best decision for me and my family,” Henderson said. “I have no regrets."
Henderson signed his letter-of-intent on National Signing Day and will enroll at Georgia Tech after graduating from Newton on May 27.
When asked which game he’s most looking forward to when his cleats pierce the grass inside Bobby Dodd Stadium in the fall, Henderson laughed.
"Sep. 4 against Tennessee,” he said.
The rest of the Q&A with Henderson can be read below:
What's your best memory of Tennessee while you were committed?
Henderson: "The coolest thing was when I went to the top of the stadium. I got to see the whole field at the very, very top. They have an elevator and you have to go to the elevator and then you have to go all the way up, legit all the way up so you have a chance to see the whole field, the stadium, the bridge. Got a chance to see the whole town."
What was your funniest memory with Tech coach Paul Johnson?
Henderson: "The funniest memory was when I went to take my official visit to North Carolina, he told me it was a basketball school."
Which school was the biggest disappointment to you?
Henderson: "It was actually Nebraska because they were recruiting me pretty hard and once I went on my official visit, I was like, 'Nah, it's not for me.'"
Why wasn't Nebraska a good fit for you?
Henderson: "For one, it was extremely cold and two, it felt like tight. It felt like they were acting. Like they weren’t being themselves."
What advice would you give a junior now that you've been through recruiting?
Henderson: "Take the process very slow and make sure you take all your official visits."
Is there anything you wish you did differently?
Henderson: "One thing I wish I (did differently) is I wish I would have taken my Tennessee official visit."
Why didn't you take an official visit at Tennessee?
Henderson: "Because I'm the kind of person that schedules everything and I was looking at my schedule before my official visit and I ran out of space."
Who was the hardest coach for you to turn down?
Henderson: "The hardest coach was (Tech cornerbacks) coach Joe Speed. That's my guy right there... He's just that type of person, you don't want to say no to him. He recruited me so hard. So, so, so hard."
What are Georgia Tech's expectations of you next season?
Henderson: "Just be ready when my name is called. Just come in and compete for a starting spot is the main thing."
What do you want Georgia Tech fans to know about you?
Henderson: "That I'm going to get on the field and bring my all and try to bring a National Championship (title) to Atlanta."
