Receiver reputation, relationships drove King's Fork's Henderson to Maryland

SUFFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Anthony Henderson Jr. held 26 Division I college offers. It didn't take long for him to narrow that list down to one and it happened while he was visiting the program.

"I actually committed during my [official visit] on a boat," Henderson said. "I got to sit back and really think about how far I've come from my freshman year all the way up to now. Time flew really fast. I'm finally here."

That lucky college football team is Maryland, where the King's Fork wide receiver announced his verbal commitment to this past Monday. The Terps beat out his other six finalists, which included Virginia Tech, Wake Forest Duke and James Madison.

"They have a receiver in the draft every year so I felt like I fit in that offense," he noted. "Also the relationship piece. I'm big on relationships and I have a great relationship with Coach (Latrell) Scott, my position coach, and also Coach (Mike) Locksley. It just felt like a great place to be."

Henderson noted that his goal is to play right away as he takes aim at the Big Ten. While working to elevate Maryland's program, he's also looking forward to going up against some of the best in the country when it comes to college football names.

"It's definitely a big stage," he pointed out. "I'm definitely trying to prepare myself to be able to play on that stage and playing Ohio State, Oregon, these big programs every week."

With the big decision behind him, Henderson clears the way to focus solely on his senior season. He and King's Fork finished 11-2 last year, falling in the Region 5B title game. The wide receiver and his teammates have circled 2026 as the year they take the step to a state crown.

"I don't have to take these recruiting trips anymore," said Henderson. "I cancelled all my other official visits so now it's getting right with my team, taking these seven-on-seven trips and working towards that goal of a state championship."

Henderson spent his first two high school seasons at Bruton before transferring to King's Fork prior to the 2025 campaign.

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