DELL RAPIDS, S.D. — For Jack Henry, baseball has pretty much always been the focus. His brother, Austin, pitches at Wichita State. His dad, Nate Henry, was one of the most feared power hitters to play amateur baseball in South Dakota. And Jack is one of the best ballplayers in the state right now himself.
But after leading the Dell Rapids Quarriers to the Class 11A state football title last fall, South Dakota State envisioned their next quarterback, and Henry verbally committed to the Jackrabbits on Wednesday, the same day they made him what was his first college football scholarship offer.
"It's a perfect fit," said the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder. "It's 20 minutes away, the whole community of Dells can support me. There's nobody better in FCS football right now. I'm really pumped."
Henry, who is wrapping up his junior year in school, came to SDSU on a visit in March that he thought was a routine junior day, but realized when he arrived and there were only five others there it was a more exclusive visit. The recruiting just ramped up from there, and when the offer came this week Henry didn't hesitate to take it immediately.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Zach Lujan was the one Henry said was most in contact, and Lujan's enthusiasm for Henry made an impression on the young quarterback.
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Henry also helped Dell Rapids to the high school baseball state title in 2022, and attended an SDSU baseball camp this winter, where his fastball was clocked at 88 mph. But he's ready to make football the priority.
"I just kind of want to do my own thing," he said.
Henry was the Joe Robbie MVP of the 11A championship game last fall, but he's a largely raw prospect. He passed for 922 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior while rushing for 626 yards and four scores, but while Henry was born with baseball in his blood, he's still learning to play quarterback. That's a big reason the Jacks are so excited about him.
"I'm not a true quarterback that's been training for it my whole life," Henry said. "They said I'm like a piece of clay and they can mold me however they want. I don't have any bad habits to break."
He'll look to continue to develop only good habits as a senior this coming season. With his college commitment out of the way, Henry can focus on leading the Quarriers to another championship.
"Yep — now I can just go out there and play," he said.
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