'Last Chance U' star Malik Henry set to join Nevada roster

sam cooper

College football writer

Tue, 8 Jan 2019, 7:51 pm

After leaving Florida State, Malik Henry was prominently featured on Netflx series Last Chance U. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

Fans of Netflix series “Last Chance U” will recognize a new suitor in Nevada’s upcoming quarterback competition.

Wolf Pack coach Jay Norvell told Nevada Sports Net that Malik Henry, whose transfer from Florida State and struggles at Independence Community College were a major storyline of the show’s third season, will join the program later this month.

Norvell said Nevada could prove to be Henry’s last chance to play college ball:

“I love junior-college quarterbacks because those kids have kind of been scarred a little bit, they’ve been humbled. That’s kind of what happened with Malik. He’s a super talented kid who made an early commitment to Florida State and probably if he had to do it over again he probably would have made a different decision.”

“He spent some time at junior college and probably has one last shot to get his career corrected and we’re going to give that. We wanted to build an environment here at Nevada where we can train quarterbacks, where we can develop them fundamentally but also spiritually and mentally. I think that’s what he needs. He need support. He needs a coaching staff that will love him and teach him how to do things the right way and in a system he can grow and develop, and that’s something we feel like we have here at Nevada.”

Henry was one of the top QB recruits in 2016

When coming out of high school in 2016, Rivals.com rated Henry as the second-best dual-threat quarterback and the No. 34 overall prospect in his class. He signed with Florida State and enrolled early. He had a big performance in the team’s spring game but was suspended in August for violating team rules. He was reinstated early in the season but ended up taking a redshirt. However, Henry decided to leave Tallahassee in December of that year.

Henry landed at Independence Community College and was shown constantly butting heads with brash and outspoken head coach Jason Brown. Henry hoped to sign with an FBS program after the 2017 junior college season, then returned to Independence in 2018, but only for part of the season.

Now Henry will have the chance to succeed Ty Gangi, whose eligibility expired after a three-season stint as the Wolf Pack’s starting quarterback. According to Nevada Sports Net, senior Cristian Solano and redshirt freshman Carson Strong “are considered the frontrunners” to start in 2019.

In 2018, Nevada went 8-5 and won the Arizona Bowl. It was Norvell’s second season as head coach. He previously was an assistant at Nebraska, UCLA, Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona State. Norvell also had stints on NFL staffs.

BREAKING: @NevadaFootball has added another QB. Former Florida State Seminole Malik Henry (@malik_henry16). Henry is most notably from @Netflix's @LastChanceU.
Coach Norvell spoke highly of his recent recruit on NSN Daily! #WeAreNevadaSports #BattleBorn #NevadaGrit pic.twitter.com/LAX54eKlO2
— Nevada Sports Net (@NevadaSportsNet) January 8, 2019