Aaron Henry comes full circle

That’s when NCSU head coach Dave Doeren started recruiting Henry at Immokalee (Fla.) High, which is about 45 minutes east of Fort Myers in the western part of the state. Doeren had just arrived at Wisconsin as the co-defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator in 2006. Henry was a Rivals.com three-star prospect and the No. 22-ranked cornerback in the country in the class of 2007.

Henry eventually picked Wisconsin over Iowa and South Carolina, plus a late charge by Florida. The move ended up being terrific, especially in what has happened in his post-playing career.

Henry was part of three consecutive Big Ten titles, earned second-team all-league his junior season and first-team honors his senior year. He finished his Badgers career with 181 career tackles, seven interceptions and 23 passes defended in 52 games (2007-11).

Henry was so well liked that his head coach at Wisconsin, Bret Bielema, immediately hired Henry when Bielema accepted the job at Arkansas. Henry was a defensive graduate assistant from 2014-15. His popularity translated to getting hired by Rutgers head coach Chris Ash when Ash was hired last offseason. Ash was the defensive backs coach and eventually the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2010-12. Henry was the cornerbacks coach for the Scarlet Knights, and during December and January fate would knock on his door a third time.

NC State safeties coach Clayton White was hired as the defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky, and Doeren knew who to call to replace him: Henry.

“He tried to hire me as the team chaplain here three years ago,” said Henry, who has worn red and white at every school he has attended or coached for since the ninth grade. “He and I are really, really close.

“When it came, I was excited about it. Being able to work for him, that makes it that much sweeter.”

Henry’s time with Doeren, Ash and Bielema and even NC State defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable, who was the linebackers coach for the Badgers in 2011, should make for a smooth transition. Henry also played with former NCSU quarterback Russell Wilson at Wisconsin his senior year.

“I’m beyond thankful for both those men," Henry said. "That should show the effect that college coaches have on young men.

“Those guys have singlehandedly changed my life.”

Henry will recruit the western part of Florida, Palm Beach County in South Florida and about 28 high schools in the western part of North Carolina. Bielema and Doeren were a key reason why he picked Wisconsin, and he knows that he’ll be selling Doeren to recruits. He already made an immediate impact in landing sophomore athlete Seneca Milledge of Fort Myers (Fla.) Dunbar.

“I think transparency is the biggest thing,” Henry said. “I have been through a lot and I can relay my message to them [NCSU players and recruits]. I’m not too far ahead of them. At the end of the day, you want a kid to play extremely hard.”

Henry grew up with nine sisters under the watchful eye of his grandmother, who was the leader of his family. Doeren did the best job of convincing his grandmother that he’d take care of him and knew the names of all nine sisters. That is how he ended up going to Wisconsin.

“A lot of people will say in recruiting to never go to a school for the coach,” Henry said. “I think that is completely false. We work in a people business. You go to places where there are really good people there. Dave Doeren is NC State.”

NC State returns rising senior strong safety Shawn Boone, and the free safety spot could be a battle between redshirt sophomore Jarius Morehead and redshirt junior Dexter Wright.

“What I’m going to try and get them to do is going to be the same thing of what they have been doing, just a tad different,” Henry said.

Henry knows he has a lot to learn at his new job but is eager to take on the challenge of “building up young men.”

“I am beyond blessed,” Henry said. “This is a real life movie that I’m living.

“It is really cool to see this thing come full circle. The guy who recruited me out of high school, now I’m working for him. The next thing on the plate is to win a bunch of games.