A.J. Henning enters transfer portal

In a statement posted to Twitter early Monday afternoon, senior wide receiver A.J. Henning officially announced that he will be entering his name into the transfer portal. In his statement, Henning emphasized his gratitude to the Michigan program and his coaches and teammates, but he ended by declaring his intent to search for a new home.

Henning, a former four-star recruit out of Frankfort, Illinois, has spent the past three years splitting his time between receiving and returning duties. Behind a loaded wide receiver room with the likes of Ronnie Bell and Roman Wilson, Henning saw limited action on the offensive side of the ball, totaling 25 career catches through 33 games. But on special teams, Henning made a name for himself as a returner, bringing back 33 kicks and 33 punts throughout his career with the Wolverines for a total of 890 yards and two touchdowns.

Last year against Maryland, Henning scored the first of those touchdowns on a trick play, catching a cross-field lateral before taking off for an 81-yard score. And again this year against UConn, Henning displayed his blazing speed on a 60-yard punt return that earned him co-Big Ten player of the week honors. At the end of the 2022 season, Henning was named Michigan’s special team’s player of the year and was an all-Big Ten second team selection as a return man. 

With his name now in the transfer portal, Henning has the option to leave if he so desires. It appears as if finding a new home is his intention, but there are no guarantees and he retains the option to stay with the Wolverines.

If Henning does indeed leave, Michigan will miss him most on special teams. With a deep receivers room, his production can be matched on offense. Without his kick returning abilities, though, the Wolverines will have to find someone to fill the gap with similar speed and elusiveness.