Northwestern added some much-needed speed and big-play potential to its lineup on Thursday when wide receiver/return man AJ Henning announced his commitment to Wildcats out of the transfer portal after three seasons at Michigan.
Henning, a Chicagoland native who won an Illinois state championship in high school, is a graduate transfer with three years of eligibility remaining.
He announced his commitment with a graphic and a short, simple message on Twitter: "At the crib with it, let's work!!"
Henning was a big transfer target for multiple reasons for the Wildcats, who missed out on the four-star prospect from Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East in their Class of 2020. He will no doubt play a much larger role in Evanston than he did in Ann Arbor as a member of Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff teams the last two seasons.
Henning appeared in 27 of 28 possible games over the last two seasons for the Wolverines but saw limited targets as a wide receiver. He logged nine catches for 60 yards in 2022, and 10 catches for 79 yards in 2021.
An element that he brought to the table for the Wolverines that might be a seismic shift from the status quo for Northwestern is as a returner. Henning served as Michigan's primary punt returner, and one of their kick returners over the last two seasons. Known for his blazing speed, he took a punt return for a touchdown in 2022, and a kick return for a TD in 2021.
Northwestern's return game has long been an endless parade of fair catches, but that could change with a potential game-breaker like Henning fielding kicks. The Wildcats had just 17 total returns in the punting and kicking game last year; Henning had 39 by himself.
Henning's addition completes a grad transfer trifecta for a Northwestern offense needing a spark after finishing 128th in the nation in scoring in 2022. The Wildcats brought in Cincinnati's Ben Bryant at quarterback, and Henning and Arizona State's Camron Johnson at wide receiver. All three should make an immediate impact for the Wildcats next season.
Henning will likely occupy the "move"/slot wide receiver position previously manned by Malik Washington, who transferred as a graduate after the 2022 season. Henning could also could line up at running back on occasion, or as an outside receiver.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder will immediately become one of the fastest and most explosive players the Wildcats have had on offense in recent memory. He should give quarterback Bryant or Brendan Sullivan a weapon who can stretch a defense, and prevent them from loading the box to stop the run.
Henning is the fourth transfer the Wildcats have landed in the last 10 days. They picked up Bryant last Wednesday, and defensive linemen Matt Lawson and Richie Hagarty two days before that.
Northwestern still has multiple scholarship slots available for transfers and is expected to add more this spring.
