Nick Saban Says Derrick Henry Looks Like He Did at Alabama

Derrick Henry's 2015 season at Alabama will go down in legend, but rather than settle for this benchmark -- an SEC single-year rushing record, we might add -- the behemoth unparalleled since the days of Earl Campbell has only added to his legend in the 2019-20 NFL postseason.

The 26-year-old is absolutely carrying Tennessee, with quarterback Ryan Tannehill yet to throw for over 100 yards while Henry casually put up back-to-back performances of 182 and 195 yards against New England and Baltimore, respectively. Regardless of what's in store for him at Arrowhead Stadium, Henry's playoff run won't be forgotten for years to come.

While Henry's run has seemingly surprised the general NFL fan, his college coach would say you should've seen it coming.

“I think that he’s playing right now for the Titans like he did when he was here,” Saban said during an appearance on “Morning Drive” on WPRT-FM in Nashville. “I think if you go back and look at his senior year here … some of the same features show up now -- great stiff arm, a big, long guy that’s really, really hard to tackle, can make you miss, has tremendous power, and I think what people miscalculate is a guy that big being that fast. But he was really that way here."

Henry put up video game numbers in his final season at Alabama against valid SEC competition. The Florida native ran for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns on 395 carries, an Alabama and SEC record. His strength as a runner was on full display then, but many assumed his acclimation to the next level would have some bumps, as he wouldn't simply be able to run over opposing defenses. Not to mention, the game was rapidly evolving, and a heavy-passing, air raid offense doesn't necessarily bode well for his skill-set.

Yet, while the majority of the NFL trends further away from the style Tennessee and Mike Vrabel have happily ridden to this point, it proves that Henry really hasn't had to change his game at all.

2015 (and previously, for that matter) was a different time in Alabama. Rarely did it feature quarterbacks the quality of Tua Tagovailoa, or even Jalen Hurts for that matter. Leading the Crimson Tide to a National Championship victory that season was...Jake Coker.

While we surely believe Tannehill can make important throws when necessary, Henry's role on this Titans team is all too familiar. He's the workhorse because he has to be.

The Titans have built an offense around their best player. It's not a foreign concept in today's game, but an odd one given that player isn't a quarterback. Henry is merely putting a team on his back by different means.