Jaylen Henderson looks back on injury

After weeks of preparation, Texas A&M quarterback Jaylen Henderson took the field against Oklahoma State in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, ready to put on a show. His performance was shorter than anticipated.

On the first play of the game, Henderson was hit while throwing the ball and suffered a fracture to his non-throwing arm. In late December, Henderson underwent surgery to repair his injury. On Thursday, Henderson reflected on his injury and what to expect moving forward.

“I’ve never broken or got hurt like that,” Henderson said. “I didn’t know if it was dislocated or broken. I was like, ‘Is it out?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, something is dislocated.’ But, it was my bone that was out, so he had to pop it back in to stabilize it.

“It was very uncomfortable. I couldn’t sleep like the first three or four days. But then, after that, everything has like gotten better every day. My range of motion is coming back. I can bend it. I can throw right now.”

Henderson’s recovery is coming along quickly, and Texas A&M fans couldn’t be happier. Henderson transferred to Texas A&M after spending two years at Fresno State. With Connor Weigman and Max Johnson both dealing with injuries this past season, Henderson stepped up and played in five games, tallying 715 passing yards and six touchdowns.

With the NCAA’s new guidance on multi-time transfers, Henderson was eligible to play at a new school in the 2024-25 academic year without securing a waiver. He’s instead staying put in College Station, helping build with newly-hired head coach Mike Elko.

While the injury is certainly a setback, Henderson is thankful it wasn’t anything more serious.

“I’m just blessed it wasn’t my neck or my back or my knee. A lot of people thought it was that,” Henderson said. “Obviously, I was upset, pissed off. I prepared three weeks, or however long it was for the bowl game, and then the very first play of the game you get hurt.

“I was definitely upset, but just had to come back to root mu guys on. At least it’s nothing crazy where I have to miss the whole year. [It’s a] six to eight week recovery. I just got to attack it strong and be back for spring ball.”

Although Henderson won’t be handed the starting spot next season, he’ll certainly be in the running. With Elko taking the reins, anything could happen next year in College Station.