TFB With the Family | RJ Henderson By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: April 26, 2018

The recruiting momentum for the Sooners could hardly be much stronger than it was immediately following the spring game. After most people had lost track of the commits Oklahoma had received in the span of a few days, they were still adding more. The weekend got kicked off, however, with the commitment of 2019 talented wide receiver Arjei Henderson.

https://twitter.com/king_hendi/status/984860788560224256

His father, RJ Henderson, has already proven to be a vocal force on Twitter. Continuing in the line of other parents of Oklahoma commits to support OU on Twitter, he has been supportive of the Sooners and encouraging to other recruits looking to join the NewWave19.

He was kind enough to speak to with TFB recently about his family and their journey to Norman.

 

 

RJ Henderson

Arjei has lived with his father in the Richmond area for about a decade, while his mother lives in Austin, and has siblings in both towns. RJ grew up in Corpus Christi a Texas fan and attended the university. The family also grew up cheering for the Spurs and the Cowboys, so sports have always been a big part of the Henderson family.

The recruitment process has been a crazy one for Arjei. However, RJ said that Arjei has known the schools he liked all along and has tried to enjoy the process. A big part of this process has been Arjei’s close friend Theo Wease. Their relationship started out as a rivalry: when the recruiting rankings came out, they were the top two receivers in the state. However, it quickly transformed “into a brotherhood.”

After beginning to pick up steam his sophomore season, Arjei, along with Theo, decided to visit Oklahoma for the Junior Day in February of 2017. While there, both decided to commit to the Sooners. It felt like the right fit for a host of reasons. “Coach Bob Stoops was a legend, Oklahoma does things the right way, they treat their players well, and the offense is really ran well.” The commitments, however, were was not to last long. While still liking OU, both decided to decommit from the Sooners. RJ says that a big part of Arjei’s decommitment was the upcoming departure of Bob Stoops. A legend stepping down is a big change, and it was hard to know the direction Coach Riley would take the Sooners. A big sign of things to come was the attitude Coach Riley and Coach Simmons took about the decomittment. Both were understanding and patient, but also continuously let Arjei know that they still wanted him.

Later in the year, Arjei committed to Oregon. There was a lot that he liked about Oregon: the campus, the location, friends in the area, and more. Once again, however, the departure of a coach (Willie Taggart) played a part in a decommitment. This time, Arjei never heard from the staff again.

As time went on, the Henderson family continued to hear from Coach Riley often. They admired the way he ran the program and the continued success of the Sooners in his first year at the helm. Coach Simmons and Coach Gundy were also big in the recruiting process, communicating often with Arjei.

Another big draw was the campus. Everything is “top notch” and the “staff treats you first class.” The facilities, stadium, and new training center are all excellent, and they “can’t say anything bad about it.” Additionally, RJ sees Sooner fans as “some of the most loyal he’s seen” – high praise for any fan base.

All of this and more pulled Arjei to recommit to Oklahoma. Already, the recruiting class is a “brotherhood.” Arjei has known many of the commits – Wease, Austin Stogner, Trejan Bridges, Jamal Morris, and others – for some time now, having played with some of them before. They are already making plans to spend time together with QB commit Spencer Rattler this summer in Arizona and continuing depending their friendships as they prepare to be teammates.

RJ is excited to see his son become a Sooner, and is already looking forward to making as many games as possible. One benefit to recruits in both Texas and Oklahoma is relative ease of travel to many home and away games, with over half the schedule generally being in one of the two states. Until then, he will continue to be a vocal supporter of the Sooners.