The top running back recruit in SC might not play offense at Clemson. Here’s why

Clemson football recruit Marquise Henderson insists the Tigers could place him “anywhere” next season as a true freshman and he’d still have a great time.

His head coach is far more blunt about what position one of the most electrifying players in the state of South Carolina should be playing at the college level.

“I can’t imagine him being on the field and not touching the football,” Belton-Honea Path High School football coach Russell Blackston said of his star running back.

A four-star recruit in the Class of 2025 who committed to Clemson last fall, Henderson has been torching defenses across the Upstate for years and is off to a red-hot start four games into his senior season at Belton-Honea Path.

The all-time leading rusher in his high school’s history, Henderson (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) had 2,336 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns as a junior in 2023. And he’s averaging 14.8 yards per carry and 188 all-purpose yards a game so far this season, with 10 touchdowns and flashy social media highlights galore.

But as more and more Clemson fans get to know the No. 3 recruit in the state and his Tigers recruiting process, they’re asking:

There’s a chance this guy doesn’t play offense?

Indeed. Although Henderson is classified as a running back in the 247Sports database, he confirmed to The State that Clemson recruited him last fall as an “athlete,” rather than at a specific position, and he committed to the team with the full understanding that he could wind up playing offense or defense in college.

But that doesn’t bother him one bit, Henderson said after racking up 259 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns in Belton-Honea Path’s season opener last month.

“I love the game of football so much you can just put me anywhere,” Henderson said in August. “If my coach asked me to go be the punter, I’d go be the punter, man. So if they put me on defense, it is what it is. Let’s go do it.”

An easy decision

Henderson, who had an uncle play at South Carolina, said he grew up a Gamecocks fan. But he quickly took an immediate liking to Clemson once the Tigers started reaching out to him, near the end of his sophomore season, and he had a chance to tour their campus and their glitzy football facilities.

The Tigers, Henderson said, were at the top of his list, which made it an easy decision for him to verbally commit to Clemson on Dec. 11 — less than 24 hours after Tigers coach Dabo Swinney officially offered Henderson a scholarship while they were sitting together in Swinney’s office.

“I ain’t gonna lie: I grew up a South Carolina fan,” said Henderson, who has grown up and played roughly an hour away from Clemson in Anderson County. “But when you go in, seeing the college and stuff — Clemson is a great place to be, man. Everything about Clemson is all about family, all about working, all about being the best person you can be.”

Heading into last fall, the Tigers already had a commitment from one 2025 running back in Gideon Davidson, who’s a four-star recruit and a top 100 overall player out of Liberty (Va.) Christian Academy. Davidson committed in summer 2023.

But Clemson coaches were still “compelled” by Henderson’s all-around athleticism, according to TigerIllustrated.com, and wanted to find a spot for him within its 2025 recruiting class, especially as he emerged one of the best players in the state. The end result: an offer as an athlete, with the flexibility to play offense or defense.

Although Clemson safeties coach Mickey Conn was an early factor in Henderson’s recruitment and eventual commitment, Henderson said his current primary recruiter is receivers coach Tyler Grisham and he also has a strong relationship with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.

It’s similar to how Clemson recruited Misun “Tink” Kelley, who committed to the Tigers as an athlete out of nearby Daniel High School in 2023 and is currently listed as a wide receiver/defensive back on the roster (but has focused on offense so far).

Does Henderson expect a chance to play on offense at Clemson?

“Yes sir,” he said. “Yes sir.”

Dynamic talent

That’s certainly reflected in his usage with Belton-Honea Path (3-1), which feels like a mix of how West Virginia used Tavon Austin, how Florida/the Minnesota Vikings used Percy Harvin and how the New Orleans Saints use running back Alvin Kamara.

Although Henderson will sporadically play defensive back for the Bears – especially when the other team has a star quarterback and/or receiver – he’s taken the vast majority of his snaps as a running back.

With a running style he’s modeled after former East Carolina and NFL speedster Chris Johnson, Henderson has been an elite playmaker for the Bears as a running back and receiver – often while sitting out large chunks of the second half.

In BHP’s season-opening win against Broome, he had three carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns; four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown; and a 78-yard kickoff return touchdown. And he didn’t touch the ball after the team’s first possession of the third quarter (on which he scored a long rushing TD).

In four games so far, Henderson – who will need to add some muscle to his frame regardless of where he plays in college – has 504 rushing yards, 752 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns (eight rushing) for Belton-Honea Path.

“He’s unbelievable,” said Blackston, his coach. “The guy rushed 900 yards as a freshman, 1,400 as a sophomore, 2,000 as a junior – and the best is yet to come. Nobody’s seen it yet. I’ve not seen anything the kid can’t do.”

Henderson, the No. 246 overall recruit nationally in the Class of 2025, said he feels like he’s getting “way better as a receiver” – a position he could end up playing at Clemson – and wants to improve on route running and overall execution on the outside during his senior season. He’s on pace for a career high in catches.

Henderson also has his eyes on a state championship for Belton-Honea Path – which lost to Daniel in last year’s 3A state semifinals – before he signs and enrolls early at Clemson in December. At that point, Blackston said, Henderson’s college position should be obvious.

To him, it already is.

“Everybody says that Clemson wants him to be a wide receiver,” Blackston said. “The dude’s an athlete. He’s got to touch the football. That’s the bottom line.”