Xavier Henderson Ready for Increased Leadership Role on Spartan Defense in 2021

By Bobby Zeffero
For msuspartans.com

Michigan State safety Xavier Henderson is entering his senior season in 2021, and he is looking to make a lasting impact on and off the field.

Spring football was the perfect time to start working on those big goals, and Henderson wants to be a leader for the Spartans – starting now.

He has played in 33 career games and has been a starter for MSU since his sophomore season, recording 139 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

MSU secondary coach Harlon Barnett expects Henderson to be a leader, thanks to all of that experience. Barnett said he is already seeing Henderson doing all the right things.

"He's already started to step up and show leadership," Barnett said. "I believe he has the respect of his teammates, because that's the first step. You got to have their respect so they'll listen to you. I'm really, really excited about him. He's already shown this offseason…just that being a leader, communicating, and talking to people, that's huge out there on the football field.

"You cannot over communicate talking about things and calling out things before they happen. He's a sharp football player. He's very sharp."

Barnett has full confidence that Henderson's leadership will continue to grow, so he can be the player that teammates can rally around.

"He's not a very boisterous guy to his teammates, he's not a 'get on you' type guy," remarked Barnett. "But sometimes it's just uncomfortable to be a leader at times. But he's stepping out. Myself, Coach Tucker, and others have tried to encourage him to step up, to be a leader, to help guide this team and lead this team. And he's trying, and he's only going to get better. I've seen him improve each and every day in that aspect."

Barnett, who was an All-American cornerback at MSU and had a seven-year NFL career, has very high praise for Henderson's abilities.

"He understands his position," said Barnett. "He knows where others should be also."

Throughout his Spartan career, Henderson has played with three NFL Draft picks in the secondary (safety Khari Willis and cornerbacks Justin Layne and Josiah Scott). Henderson has taken multiple things from those players to improve his game throughout his career.

"You have to put in that work in the weight room and work on your mechanics and your specific drills and skills," said Henderson. "I think that's what Khari (Willis) does really well. Because he's not the most athletic in the world; he's 5-foot-10 and a half, but he found a way to overcome it. He might not be the fastest dude, but he plays the fastest on film. Stuff like that is the stuff I took away from him."

Henderson, who has started 20 consecutive games at safety, has the most starts of any defensive back returning from last season. With that being said, he is trying to set an example for the younger players similar to how an example was set for him.

"I think just by being a calm, poised presence on the field in practice, because a lot of times, especially when you're new to a defense and new to a team, getting out there and getting on the field, you could get flustered real easy," said Henderson. "Having someone out there that kind of helps you, tells you what to do, and that you look over and see he's calm, stuff like that. David Dowell was that guy for me my sophomore year. Seeing dudes that know what they're doing and kind of give you a little help in the midst of the fire. I think that's really the biggest help a leader could give."

When talking about things that he could improve coming into this season, Henderson mentioned explosive plays and tackling.

"The biggest thing is just tackling, just getting dudes to the ground," he said. "We gave up too many explosives last year on defense, and really all explosives come down to if the DBs can bring dudes to the ground."

No matter what happens this season, Henderson appreciates the support from Spartan fans throughout his career.

"I appreciate Spartan Nation being with us through thick and thin," he said. "We're working for a championship and if not now, then we're going to set the tone for the dudes that are coming in."

Michigan State University Athletics

Xavier Henderson Ready for Increased Leadership Role on Spartan Defense in 2021

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