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November 5, 2021

Pitt Panther Great Ready To Shine On CFL Stage

Hamilton, ON- When it comes to notable alumni from the University of Pittsburgh, Quadree Henderson is right up there with a couple of all-time football greats. The Lions’ new speedster was the second Panther alum to earn consensus All-American honours as a sophomore after Larry Fitzgerald. He capped off his college career by surpassing the 2,000 all-purpose yards mark. The first guy from there to do it? Tony Dorsett. Not too shabby, right?

And now as he prepares to make his debut Friday in Hamilton with the Lions in need of a boost in the return game, the native of Wilmington, Delaware is ready to prove his worth.

“I’m very excited. I’ve been thinking to myself that I finally get to go out there and prove myself to these coaches and bring a spark to the whole team,” said Henderson following the team’s walkthrough at Tim Hortons Field on Thursday.

Officially added to the practice roster last month, Henderson has had to wait until now to get his shot. Along the way, he has learned to adapt, fit in and become a good teammate.

“It’s been good. I like the way our locker room atmosphere is here,” he said.

“I came in not knowing anyone here and they all took me in as one of their own. It’s almost felt like home. These deep bonds last a lifetime so it’s been fun getting closer to my new brothers.”

Henderson has proven he can show up for his team in big moments. He lists his best college memory as the Military Bowl in his freshman season where he returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Pitt wound up losing that contest to Navy, but Henderson’s ability as a big-game player was put on display in the process.

Former Pitt Panther great Quadree Henderson is ready to shine as Lions look to switch up the return game for Friday night's test in Hamilton.

His journey since all of those college accolades has been anything but smooth. Henderson landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a non-drafted free agent and would attend 2018 training camp with the squad. That was followed by practice roster stints with the New York Giant, New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.

The year 2020 began with the XFL’s New York Guardians before the COVID-19 Pandemic helped shutdown that league’s latest incarnation. And then, current Lions’ director of US Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden, then with Winnipeg, put him on the Blue Bombers’ negotiation list just prior to 2021 training camp. That was Henderson’s first exposure to the Canadian game and Rigmaiden was quick to put him on the radar of Lions’ brass upon his return to the organization.

“Quadree is a physical returner that can run through arm tackles, make defenders miss and get those yards that you didn’t think were there,” said Rigmaiden.

“You just look at those seven return touchdowns he had at Pitt, he brings all those attributes. He was also productive running the ball on fly sweeps and end-arounds. Just look at his YouTube highlights. You can tell right away the kid is good.”

Good, but he knows he can take nothing for granted as the latest football chapter begins. It will be the same mindset from that Military Bowl as a freshman.

“I look forward to demonstrating a lot, especially tomorrow,” a jacked-up Henderson said.

“You’re going to see a little bit of everything out there. You’re going to see a burst of speed, playmaking, the ability to cut off people and stuff like that and just making plays. I’m a smart returner, so you won’t ever see me make any bad decisions out there. I’m ahead of the game, as far as the return game and stuff like that. I just need to go out there and execute.”

And now would be the ideal time to get it. From Panther to Lion, you can tell he’s ready to roll.

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com