Joseph Henry is in his third season as tight ends and fullbacks coach at Prairie View A&M, and his second season as special teams coach.
This past season, TE Cameron Smith had career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns receptions. The Panthers had a pair of kicks returned for touchdown, as WR/PR Anthony Wiltz returned a punt for six, and Joshua Simmons returned a kickoff for a touchdown. The special teams units combined to block four kicks, including three by Treveon Billings, converting one for a safety, and another into a two-point return.
In January 2017, Henry was selected to participate in this year's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 30 Under 30 Leadership Institute. consisting of interactive lectures on topics including leadership, ethics, family balance, and personal and professional development.
In 2015, TE Demarquo LaStrappe was fourth on the team in receptions (19), third in receiving yards (366), and tied for third in receiving touchdowns (three). The H-back trio of Cameron Smith, Tommie Robbins, and John Allen combined to open holes for Johnta Hebert’s 1,512 yards from scrimmage on the nation’s most prolific offense (44.9 ppg).
Henry spent the 2014 season as the defensive line coach at Birmingham-Southern College. His defensive line was stingy defending both the run and the pass. As a unit, they made their mark by leading the Panthers to the second best rushing defense in the conference, allowing 128.5 rushing yards per game. BSC also finished second in the conference in total sacks.
Individually, three of Henry’s defensive linemen finished in the top eight in the Southern Athletic Association in tackles for loss, and three defensive linemen finished in the top nine in the SAA in sacks. Three senior defensive linemen (Paden Gaines, Wesley Hansard and Connor Shannon) earned second team All-SAA Conference honors.
Henry spent 2013 as the tight ends and fullbacks coach at UAB. The tight ends and fullbacks caught 37 passes for 374 yards and two touchdowns. Henry’s leadership helped junior tight end Kennard Backman earn honorable mention All-Conference USA accolades. Backman was also named to the 2014 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List for the best tight end in the country, based on his production during the 2013 season.
Prior to coaching at UAB, Henry coached tight ends and fullbacks at the University of Arkansas as a graduate assistant in 2012. His featured tight end, Chris Gragg, had 22 receptions for 289 yards and three touchdowns in only five games. Altogether, his players accumulated 42 receptions for 465 yards and four touchdowns. Gragg went on to be selected in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft (222nd overall) by the Buffalo Bills.
Throughout Henry’s five seasons as a player at Arkansas (2005-2009), the Razorbacks won 35 games, including 10 wins and the SEC Western Division Championship in 2006. That squad finished 10-4 overall, 7-1 SEC, and is the only team in school history to win seven SEC games in a single season. Henry played in the 2007 Capital One Bowl, the 2008 Cotton Bowl, and the 2010 Liberty Bowl. Henry began his playing career at Arkansas as a walk-on, but earned a scholarship before the 2008 season.
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Henry was a letterman in football, basketball and soccer at Central High School. He played tight end and punted, helping lead his team to two consecutive state championships (2003-2004) and a 27-1 record during those two seasons. During his senior season, Henry served as a team captain, earned all-conference honors as a tight end and had the longest punting average in the state.
Henry graduated from Arkansas with two bachelor’s degrees, one in finance and the other in marketing. Henry and his wife, the former Grace Hall, have one daughter, Linley Taylor.
