2020 DE Darrion Henry Gets Offered, Has "Blast" At Notre Dame

Darrion Henry‍ may not have been stunned, but the 2020 Ohio defensive end was certainly honored to receive an offer from Notre Dame during Saturday’s Junior Day in South Bend.

“I kind of knew, but for him, when he got the word from Brian Kelly, it was phenomenal,” Henry’s coach at Princeton High School, Mike Daniels said.

“It was one of those things where maybe he thought he would because he’s got some stuff going on with Ohio State and Penn State having offered, but you never take anything for granted and you’re excited about each and every offer. For him, it was exciting. It was something nice for him.”

For the Irish, it was a case of recognizing the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder checked all of the boxes on and off the field.

“Absolutely,” said Daniels. “I think it was even more evident once they got around him that his personality fits in and he’s a massive human being to be so young and that always helps.”

Henry enjoyed his day at Notre Dame, according to his coach.

“He had a blast,” Daniels said. “It was a good time there. They did a great job. Their Junior Day has a lot of elements of official visits.

“Just being in-depth with academics and being in-depth with visits and what they were showing, it was unusual in that respect for an unofficial visit. It was nice. You got to see a lot of the meat and potatoes of what Notre Dame is for those kids, so it was good.”

The Cincinnati native will “absolutely” be back in South Bend in the coming months.

“I think for him, a camp and a game are the next steps for him,” his coach said. “It’s not a bad a drive, it’s a 3-hour, 45-minute drive for us.

“He’ll be at these places multiple times, especially Notre Dame because it’s a natural fit for what they can offer young men. I think it’s a great opportunity and he’ll go through the process with the next steps with a summer camp and then a game.”

The trip was also a reunion of sorts for Daniels, who played his college ball at Cincinnati before coaching stints with the Bearcats and at Buffalo.

“Jeff Quinn was a mentor and friend and is now offensive line coach, so for me, it was awesome to be able to be around him and see him. I played and coached under Brian Kelly, so that was nice and Mike Elston and Beth Rex and Jake Flint, all of these people I’ve had previous relationships with, so that was great as well.”