Why Jackson State football's Evan Henry is eager for the 2024 season opener at ULM

The first game circled on Jackson State football player Evan Henry 's schedule will be an emotional one. In a little more than a month, he will play against the University of Louisiana-Monroe . Henry knows the program well, having spent his first three college seasons there.

The last time Henry played in Malone Stadium, he was an offensive lineman wearing maroon and gold for ULM. In fact, he helped the WarHawks defeat Jackson State, 12-7, on Sept. 18, 2021.

“The first one,” Henry said during an interview on a BlueBloods podcast at SWAC Media Day on July 16. “ULM, I am very excited for it. A great team, I played there before, and I get an opportunity to play on that field. They (ULM) gave me my first opportunity and my first shot.”

Henry, a graduate senior, will have a chance to help Jackson State exact some payback on the Warhawks. If the Tigers can upset ULM on Aug. 29 (6 p.m., ESPN+), they will  become the first Jackson State football team in school history to defeat an FBS team.

Henry, a 6-foot-4, 324-pounder who played three seasons (2019-21) for the WarHawks, earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention in 2020.

Since joining the Tigers in 2022, Henry has become a leader on the offensive line. He is a two-time All-SWAC offensive lineman having been selected at guard in 2022 and at center in 2023. Henry helped Jackson State win the SWAC championship in 2022.

Henry said the offense has had a whole offseason to build upon the camaraderie that happened last year.

“I think we did a lot of great things last year,” Henry said. “But, I think this offseason has given us an opportunity to expand on that.”

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For Jackson State to be successful this season, Henry said the Tigers need to lock in on each opponent and play with the same chip on their shoulder for 11 consecutive games.

“We need to show growth week in and week out,” Henry said. “Until we get to that championship game. How we start should not be how we finish the year.”

J.T. Keith is the HBCU sports editor for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at JKeith@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @JTKEITH1.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Jackson State football's Evan Henry is eager for the 2024 season opener at ULM