A Tennessee legend is headed to the College Football Hall of Fame.
As announced by the College Football Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation on Wednesday afternoon, former Tennessee defensive lineman John Henderson has been selected into the 2025 class.
The announcement on Wednesday comes just two years after Henderson was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Henderson, a former graduate of Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville, attended the University of Tennessee from 1998 to 2001 under head coach Phillip Fulmer. “Big John” embodied the passion and spirit of Tennessee football throughout his entire career.
“That dude was a bad dude back in the day,” former Tennessee standout Derek Barnett said about Henderson in 2014.
During his time at Tennessee, Henderson was a 6-foot-7 wrecking machine on the Vols’ post-championship defensive line. Henderson earned back-to-back All-America honors and First Team All-SEC honors during his junior and senior seasons in Knoxville. Henderson also earned the title of Outland Trophy winner in 2000 as the nation’s best interior lineman, becoming just the second Outland Trophy winner in program history following defensive tackle Steve DeLong in 1964.
Henderson also earned the SEC Defensive Player of the Year title after his junior season on Rocky Top.
Henderson’s legacy isn’t easily forgotten, either. The former defensive tackle still holds the fourth-most sacks in a single season at Tennessee (12.0 in 2000) and is seventh in Tennessee history in career sacks (20.5).
Tennessee went 28-9 during Henderson’s four years in Knoxville and won the SEC East during his senior season in 2001. Henderson ended his Tennessee career with 162 tackles, 38.5 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and seven pass breakups.
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The Nashville native was taken ninth overall in the 2002 NFL Draft and immediately made an impact with the Jaguars. After just one season in Jacksonville, Henderson was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team after posting 53 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 16 games (13 starts).
Henderson spent eight years in Jacksonville, named to Pro Bowls in 2004 and 2006, before spending the final two years of his career with the Raiders in Oakland. The former Volunteer was also named a Second Team All-Pro selection in 2006.
Prior to Tennessee’s Taxslayer Bowl contest against Iowa to close out the 2014 season, the Vols’ coaching staff had Henderson speak to the team while preparing in Jacksonville.
“It was great to have that intensity, especially in the morning,” defensive back Brian Randolph said. “We may be a little sleepy, he came in and woke us right up. He reminded us what we’re here for. We’re not here to party or nothing like that, we’re here to have fun, but the main goal is to beat Iowa.
“He’s a crazy d-lineman. That’s what we need on our team. We need a lot of energy, a lot of juice like that, a lot of emotion, a lot of passion, he brings it all and he gave a little bit to us in our team meeting this morning.”
Henderson was one of three former Tennessee players to appear on the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame ballot alongside Willie Gault and Larry Seivers. This was Henderson’s first appearance on the ballot.
John Henderson makes for the 27th overall Tennessee Volunteer and the 23rd player from Tennessee to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. VFL Eric Berry was the most recent CFB HoF inductee prior to Henderson in 2023.
