Xzavier Henderson talks Breakout Game, Older Brother

Gator fans have seen a familiar name this season–this time on offense.

True freshman, wide receiver Xzavier Henderson, younger brother of former Gator cornerback CJ, has made an impact already for Florida. The freshman spoke with the media on Wednesday, after a career-best game against Arkansas on Saturday.

Breakout Game

Coming into the Arkansas game, Henderson hadn’t seen too many targets on the season compared to other receivers. The previous week’s game against Georgia wasn’t his best, with a few “freshman moments,” including a drop and a route miscommunication.

Kyle Trask targeted him early against Arkansas, though, and the pair connected on a 43-yard flea-flicker.

Henderson remembers how he felt while the ball was in the air on his biggest catch of the season.

Later in the game, Henderson recorded an even bigger milestone, with his first college touchdown. Emory Jones connected with Henderson on a 7-yard touchdown midway through the 4th quarter, something that Gator fans can expect to see a lot more of in the coming years.

Henderson said that it was exciting, but a full, non-pandemic crowd would have made the moment feel more special.

Thankfully for Henderson, he has at least two more seasons of Swamp touchdowns to look forward to.

Brotherly Love

Because of his brother CJ’s massive success in a Gator uniform, it’s hard not t0 associate the two when Xzavier is on the field now.

The younger Henderson doesn’t mind this, as he’s always looked up to his older brother.

In addition, Xzavier explained how his older brother’s experience factored into his own recruitment. “In the end, it came down to where I felt most at home.”

Witnessing how CJ developed as a player under Florida’s coaching staff certainly played a huge role for the younger Henderson.

If his work ethic is anything like CJ’s, Xzavier Henderson is certainly the type of talent that Florida can expect to develop into an NFL-caliber player like his brother.