Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Remember This Guy? Askew-Henry Is Back And Ready To Go
April 16, 2018 04:08 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Do you remember when Dravon Askew-Henry was still just Dravon Henry, one of the top high school football players in Pennsylvania in 2013?
The four-star Dravon Henry who was a two-time first team all-stater, two-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and three-time Tribune Review Terrific 25 choice?
The Dravon Henry who - like all guys from Aliquippa since Tony Dorsett - was supposed to go to Pitt and tear it up for the Panthers?
The Dravon Henry who instead picked West Virginia University and was supposed to reinvent the free safety position for the Mountaineers, according to all of our internet friends out there?
Well, he's still around … still looking for that breakout season that everyone hoped was going to happen back in 2016, two years after his terrific freshman campaign in 2014 when he earned ESPN.com Freshman All-America honors.
He started all 13 games that year, including the opener against Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in Atlanta, generating 45 tackles and a pair of interceptions and pass breakups for the season.
His sophomore numbers were a little better - 59 tackles, four pass breakups, a TFL and a pick - but he was just a supporting player in a talented West Virginia secondary that included future pros Karl Joseph, KJ Dillon and Daryl Worley.
The breakout year was supposed to be two years ago, as a junior, but a season-ending knee injury during preseason training camp took care of that. A year of inactivity ensued.
Last season, Henry began at free safety before eventually moving to bandit safety in game eight against Iowa State after true freshman Kenny Robinson turned out to be a revelation.
Now, with the playmaking Robinson best suited for the middle of the field where offenses can't avoid him, Askew-Henry is on the move again - this time to spur safety.
Spur, which could be also be an acronym for Special Player Usually Required, is one of the most difficult positions in defensive coordinator Tony Gibson's West Virginia scheme because of its run-pass responsibilities.
That's where Kyzir White played last year and where Dillon played so well a few years ago. By the way, Dillon is in the NFL and White is about to join him there at the end of this month.
Actually, West Virginia's spur spot seems to be a launching pad for NFL players these days and Askew-Henry's new home appears to be a good fit.
"I like the position," he said recently. "I've played every position back there so I'm just ready to play football. It doesn't matter where they put me - nose guard, linebacker or wherever, I just want to play football."
Gibson said the Dravon Askew-Henry he saw this spring is the same Dravon Henry he once had as the No. 1 defensive player on his recruiting board back in 2013. He's also the same Dravon Henry he saw confidently making plays as a true freshman in 2014.
"He's back," Gibson proclaimed at the conclusion of spring practice last week. "He's back to what we all thought he would be coming into his junior year and was having a great camp before the injury."
Football players are alpha males, and alpha males are the last ones in the world to ever admit when they're a little off, but Askew-Henry's knee injury had him a little off last year.
It was apparent to everyone, not just to those doing the watching, grading and evaluating.
The aggressiveness and reckless abandon Askew-Henry once demonstrated as a freshman and sophomore were missing last year, and West Virginia's defense felt it. Gibson thinks Askew-Henry's confidence was shaken a little bit by the knee injury, and it sort of snowballed from there.
"He had a few things early in the season go wrong, and he never really recovered from that and was always playing on his heels instead of what made him so good - and what made us want him - how aggressive he was and how he played," Gibson explained.
"Yeah, when I first got back I will say it was on my mind a little bit - not that much - but it's two years now and it doesn't even cross my mind," Askew-Henry admitted. "I'm just ready to play football and win some games."
Soon after West Virginia's disappointing performance against Utah in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl, Gibson pulled Askew-Henry aside one day and told him it's time for him to step up and be a man and be a leader on this year's team.
Askew-Henry is going to be one of the most experienced players in the Big 12 this season, having started 39 career games heading into September's opener against Tennessee in Charlotte. By the time his WVU career is finished, he will likely have more than 50 career starts to his credit, which is an inordinately high number these days.
Offensive guard Kyle Bosch had the most starts of any Mountaineer player last year with 40. The next closest guy in career starts to Askew-Henry on this year's defense is linebacker David Long Jr. with 19.
Reese Donahue (13) and Elijah Battle (10) are the only other defensive returners with double-digit career starts, so it's clear where Gibson wants his leadership to come from this season.
"I've just got to be that leader out there this year," Askew-Henry noted. "I can't talk about it, I've just got to do it by leading by example on and off the field … in the film room, in practice and in meetings."
Gibson said he liked what he saw from Askew-Henry during the spring.
"Dra is a special guy, especially to me," Gibson said. "I got to recruit him, and he's been here five years now, which is hard to believe.
"I think last year it took him some time to recover," Gibson added. "It was more of a mental block than probably anything else, but he had a great spring. He was tackling well and played with a lot of confidence."
"Coming off an ACL injury and not playing a whole year of football, I'm pretty sure anybody that has a little setback has got to get back into their groove," Askew-Henry said. "But now I'm feeling good. No, I'm feeling great. I'm feeling back to what I used to feel like, if not better."
So, what will that mean for West Virginia's defense in 2018?
"We're going to do more attacking," Askew-Henry said. "We're going to get after them this year. I felt like we were hesitant last year, laid-back and lackadaisical, and this year we're going to get after it."
You have to wonder if that was Askew-Henry talking about last year's defense, or was it him talking more about himself?
In reality, it was probably a little bit of both.
The four-star Dravon Henry who was a two-time first team all-stater, two-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and three-time Tribune Review Terrific 25 choice?
The Dravon Henry who - like all guys from Aliquippa since Tony Dorsett - was supposed to go to Pitt and tear it up for the Panthers?
The Dravon Henry who instead picked West Virginia University and was supposed to reinvent the free safety position for the Mountaineers, according to all of our internet friends out there?
Well, he's still around … still looking for that breakout season that everyone hoped was going to happen back in 2016, two years after his terrific freshman campaign in 2014 when he earned ESPN.com Freshman All-America honors.
He started all 13 games that year, including the opener against Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in Atlanta, generating 45 tackles and a pair of interceptions and pass breakups for the season.
His sophomore numbers were a little better - 59 tackles, four pass breakups, a TFL and a pick - but he was just a supporting player in a talented West Virginia secondary that included future pros Karl Joseph, KJ Dillon and Daryl Worley.
The breakout year was supposed to be two years ago, as a junior, but a season-ending knee injury during preseason training camp took care of that. A year of inactivity ensued.
Last season, Henry began at free safety before eventually moving to bandit safety in game eight against Iowa State after true freshman Kenny Robinson turned out to be a revelation.
Now, with the playmaking Robinson best suited for the middle of the field where offenses can't avoid him, Askew-Henry is on the move again - this time to spur safety.
Spur, which could be also be an acronym for Special Player Usually Required, is one of the most difficult positions in defensive coordinator Tony Gibson's West Virginia scheme because of its run-pass responsibilities.
That's where Kyzir White played last year and where Dillon played so well a few years ago. By the way, Dillon is in the NFL and White is about to join him there at the end of this month.
Actually, West Virginia's spur spot seems to be a launching pad for NFL players these days and Askew-Henry's new home appears to be a good fit.
"I like the position," he said recently. "I've played every position back there so I'm just ready to play football. It doesn't matter where they put me - nose guard, linebacker or wherever, I just want to play football."
Gibson said the Dravon Askew-Henry he saw this spring is the same Dravon Henry he once had as the No. 1 defensive player on his recruiting board back in 2013. He's also the same Dravon Henry he saw confidently making plays as a true freshman in 2014.
"He's back," Gibson proclaimed at the conclusion of spring practice last week. "He's back to what we all thought he would be coming into his junior year and was having a great camp before the injury."
Football players are alpha males, and alpha males are the last ones in the world to ever admit when they're a little off, but Askew-Henry's knee injury had him a little off last year.
It was apparent to everyone, not just to those doing the watching, grading and evaluating.
The aggressiveness and reckless abandon Askew-Henry once demonstrated as a freshman and sophomore were missing last year, and West Virginia's defense felt it. Gibson thinks Askew-Henry's confidence was shaken a little bit by the knee injury, and it sort of snowballed from there.
"He had a few things early in the season go wrong, and he never really recovered from that and was always playing on his heels instead of what made him so good - and what made us want him - how aggressive he was and how he played," Gibson explained.
"Yeah, when I first got back I will say it was on my mind a little bit - not that much - but it's two years now and it doesn't even cross my mind," Askew-Henry admitted. "I'm just ready to play football and win some games."
Soon after West Virginia's disappointing performance against Utah in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl, Gibson pulled Askew-Henry aside one day and told him it's time for him to step up and be a man and be a leader on this year's team.
Askew-Henry is going to be one of the most experienced players in the Big 12 this season, having started 39 career games heading into September's opener against Tennessee in Charlotte. By the time his WVU career is finished, he will likely have more than 50 career starts to his credit, which is an inordinately high number these days.
Offensive guard Kyle Bosch had the most starts of any Mountaineer player last year with 40. The next closest guy in career starts to Askew-Henry on this year's defense is linebacker David Long Jr. with 19.
Reese Donahue (13) and Elijah Battle (10) are the only other defensive returners with double-digit career starts, so it's clear where Gibson wants his leadership to come from this season.
"I've just got to be that leader out there this year," Askew-Henry noted. "I can't talk about it, I've just got to do it by leading by example on and off the field … in the film room, in practice and in meetings."
Gibson said he liked what he saw from Askew-Henry during the spring."Dra is a special guy, especially to me," Gibson said. "I got to recruit him, and he's been here five years now, which is hard to believe.
"I think last year it took him some time to recover," Gibson added. "It was more of a mental block than probably anything else, but he had a great spring. He was tackling well and played with a lot of confidence."
"Coming off an ACL injury and not playing a whole year of football, I'm pretty sure anybody that has a little setback has got to get back into their groove," Askew-Henry said. "But now I'm feeling good. No, I'm feeling great. I'm feeling back to what I used to feel like, if not better."
So, what will that mean for West Virginia's defense in 2018?
"We're going to do more attacking," Askew-Henry said. "We're going to get after them this year. I felt like we were hesitant last year, laid-back and lackadaisical, and this year we're going to get after it."
You have to wonder if that was Askew-Henry talking about last year's defense, or was it him talking more about himself?
In reality, it was probably a little bit of both.
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