Texas A&M QB Jaylen Henderson suffers arm injury on first play of Texas Bowl

Texas A&M quarterback Jaylen Henderson suffered a scary injury on the first play of Wednesday’s Texas Bowl against Oklahoma State. He completed a pass, but fell awkwardly on his arm and left the field with a brace.

Henderson found Jahdae Walker for an 11-yard reception and flew into the air as he threw the ball. When he landed, he landed on his right arm, and it appeared it got caught underneath him. The medical staff immediately went onto the field and called for a cart. However, Henderson walked off the field with the trainers, who were holding the air cast on his arm.

Henderson made four appearances for Texas A&M this year and got the start in the bowl game after Max Johnson entered the transfer portal and headed to North Carolina. Wednesday marked his fourth start of the season. Freshman Marcel Reed came in to replace Henderson.

#Aggies QB1 Jaylen Henderson got hit low and came down hard on his arm on the first play of the game. He walked off the field with a brace on his right arm preventing any movement. True freshman Marcel Reed in now for A&M. pic.twitter.com/z4pPcJtOqz

— Parker Rehm (@parker_rehm) December 28, 2023

Henderson completed 52 of 77 passes for 704 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season. ESPN’s Taylor McGregor reported he was going back to get X-Rays to determine the severity of his injury, and Reed was working with the staff to get ready for the moment. It marked the first appearance of the season for Reed, who arrived in College Station this year as a highly touted recruit.

“Texas A&M confirming to me that Jaylen Henderson has been taken to get X-Rays on that right arm,” McGregor said. “So now, it’s Marcel Reed. And when he came to the sideline, he spent a lot of time with James Coley, the interim offensive coordinator, just trying to stabilize his nerves and give him confidence that he can do this.

“Then, he spent time with Bryce Foster. The two of them trying to do some snaps, get into a rhythm. That can be a challenge going from quarterback to quarterback, just making sure that the cadences and the voices match up.”

Texas A&M had a rollercoaster season in 2023 en route to a 6-6 record. The program parted ways with Jimbo Fisher mid-season and opted to name Duke coach Mike Elko as the next head coach. For the bowl game, though, interim head coach Elijah Robinson will lead the Aggies as he gets ready to take the defensive coordinator position at Syracuse under new coach Fran Brown. Robinson took over the role after Fisher’s departure, and Wednesday will mark his final act as interim head coach before leaving for Syracuse.