Liberty Flames tight end discusses faith and football

There’s a saying in sports — to be successful at the highest levels, “You either have to believe in God or believe you are God.”

In collegiate and professional athletics, it’s rare to find athletes who fall into the former category, which is one thing that makes Flames junior tight end Austin Henderson such an anomaly. 

After graduating from Ensworth High School in Nashville as a three-star recruit, Henderson chose to return to the lakes of Minnesota, where he was born and spent the early years of his childhood, and play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After redshirting his freshman season for the Golden Gophers, Henderson played well in his sophomore spring practices only to be let down in the fall by a lack of playing time. He described his time there as a season of wilderness that turned into a season of prayer. 

“I just didn’t get the opportunities that I felt like I quote unquote ‘deserved,’ you know, whatever that means,” Henderson said. “And long story short, (I started) just … praying to God, ‘What’s going on?’ And then finally my prayer turned into, ‘God, just give me clarity on what you’re doing. If you want me here in Minnesota, let’s do it. If you want me somewhere else, you’ll open that door.’”

And God did open the door. Henderson got connected to Flames lacrosse superstar Keaton Mohs, who invited him to join the  Flames student-athletes. It certainly helped that Mohs connected Henderson with former Flames Head Coach Hugh Freeze and that Henderson had multiple family members already on campus. 

“I had a brother, two cousins here, and my family just loves this place,” Henderson said. “When I stepped foot on campus, I was like, ‘I know this is where God wants me to be.’”

Henderson transferred to Liberty in the winter of 2021, and even though he found greener pastures on Liberty Mountain, it hasn’t been an easy past three seasons for the 6-foot-5-inch pass-catcher. 

In 2022, Henderson saw the field in all 13 of the Flames’ outings and ended the year with just five receptions that resulted in 50 yards and a touchdown catch that he pulled down in the Flames’ win over the BYU Cougars. In 2023, Henderson’s performance improved with 10 total catches for 87 yards and three touchdowns. 

In this current Flames season, some expected that the Flames would alternate at the tight end position, rotating between Henderson and senior Bentley Hanshaw. After three games, those expectations have not quite met reality, with Henderson finding himself on the lower end of a three-man rotation with Hanshaw and junior Jacob Jenkins.    

“This year, I have kind of been in a more substitution role in the sense that we have three tight ends now who play at a high level,” Henderson said. “All three of us are great players but very different.”

Despite not seeing the field as much as he may have expected this season and having battled through a devastating PCL tear in December, Henderson has found peace in his role and in the platform that college football has gifted him. 

“Even in the time that some would look from the outside and say, ‘Man, you lost reps, … you’re not in a role that you were in last year, and you might be frustrated with that, but God has used that to grow my relationship with him,” Henderson said. “That, ‘Hey, my identity is not in football. My identity is not in what I do. It’s in who I am and whose I am, and that’s in Jesus Christ.’ And that’s such a blessing and a freeing thing that I’ve been able to experience with God.”

As an NCAA football player, a young man on fire for the gospel, a pastor’s kid and a business major, Henderson’s next steps were clear. In 2023, Henderson worked with his partners to create his nonprofit, the Reap the Harvest Foundation. 

“As we (Liberty athletes) are being trained as Champions for Christ, we want to train up the next generation of champions. So, not trying to steal Liberty’s mission statement, but we’ve kind of adapted it and said we want to train that next generation with our platform of football.”

The Reap the Harvest Foundation is meant to be a free opportunity for children to come and learn sports, have fun and hear the gospel. During its first event, Henderson and over 30 of his teammates ran a day camp that included games, a foam launcher, food trucks and the headliner of the event, Super Bowl champion David Tyree. 

After the event ended, it became clear to Henderson that it wasn’t just the kids whose lives would be changed.

“Directly after the event, we had about 30 guys on the team who were there, and every single one of them were like, ‘Man, that’s the best thing I ever did in my life,’” Henderson said. “And it was just so cool to be in the presence of guys pouring into that next generation and to shine the light of Christ in that way and use that platform to do that.”

Henderson continues to strive to use his platform as a pedestal to “shine the light of Christ” and to use himself, as he likes to say, as a vessel. 

“(I say) ‘God, I’m a vessel. Everything that I have is yours. Use it. Use it how you want it. Steer my ship,’” Henderson said. “I want him to steer that rudder and direct me in whatever way possible.”

To learn more about the Reap the Harvest Foundation, visit www.reaptheharvestfoundation.com.    

Palsgrove is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X.