Henderson Anointed Nation's Top Recruit

Cretin-Derham Hall has produced a number of amazing athletes over the years, from baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor to Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke to first overall major-league baseball selection Joe Mauer of the hometown Minnesota Twins.

There's another superb athlete in the pipeline at the small, private school in St. Paul, Minn. Say hello to Seantrel Henderson, a 6-foot-8, 315-pound junior offensive tackle who is considered the top prep football player in the country by two different scouting services.

This is big news for the big fella, but the Raiders are accustomed to the recruiting spotlight.

Weinke remembers the official visits and the evening telephone calls from coaches following dinner. He remembers the monogram letters from the nation's best teams arriving in the mail. And, of course, he remembers making his life-altering decision between college football and professional baseball in 1991.

Weinke, however, can't fathom what today's top recruits such as Henderson must experience in this increasingly connected world. E-mail, text messages and electronic community pages are wonderful ways for family, friends, fans and foes to keep pace with news like Tuesday's that detailed how Henderson had retained top billing on Rivals.com' Top-100 for the class of 2010. Henderson also has been anointed numero uno by Scout.com.

"We didn't have cell phones when I was in high school," Weinke, 36, said Tuesday from his office in Austin, Texas. "I remember how exciting it was when a coach visited or called our home after dinner or I received a letter in the mail. I can't even imagine what it must be like for these kids today; they are probably getting hit every which way and by everybody."

NCAA recruiting rules and regulations aside, this much is certain: College coaches will continue their annual migration to Cretin-Derham Hall, a perennial powerhouse in Minnesota. Henderson, flooded by scholarship offers (30) and letters (quadruple digits), is the latest Raider to set the school's recruiting standard.



While Henderson doesn't seriously consider it a college option, let's not forget he's also an accomplished prep and AAU basketball player. Last summer Henderson attended the Nike Hoops Jamboree, where he was measured at 6-foot-7 1/2 without shoes and weighed 303 pounds with a 7-foot-2 wing span and an 8-foot-9 reach. Henderson is as imposing in the paint as he is in a three-point stance.

"Seantrel's not the best lineman we've ever had here, but the potential is there," Raiders head football coach Mike Scanlan said Tuesday afternoon. "I always wanted to play center field for the Yankees growing up. That was my aspiration but I knew it would never happen. Seantrel probably has aspirations to play in the NFL one day, but the difference is he has the physical tools to make that dream come true."

Dreams do come true at Cretin-Derham. Famous football alumni also include former Miami quarterback Steve Walsh, Denver Broncos offensive lineman Ryan Harris and Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd. College coaches representing schools from A to Z have strolled the Raiders' hallways.

Last week, for instance, assistant coaches from UCLA, Oklahoma, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio State and Georgia poked their noggins in Scanlan's office just to say hey. They would have loved to chat in-person with Henderson, but that's an NCAA no-no from April 15 to May 31. This time is as an "evaluation period," when coaches can assess academic qualifications and playing abilities. Keep the letters and phones calls coming, however. They are still permitted.

Barry Every, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, says Henderson is already at a size where he can compete at the collegiate level. "There's always something you can find wrong with an offensive lineman, but there's nothing you can find physically wrong with this kid," Every said Tuesday from office in Athens, Ga. "I traveled to Minnesota last season and watched him play; Seantrel was very light on his feet with tremendous overall body structure."

Henderson, 17, is the first offensive lineman to earn Rivals' No. 1 ranking. The company, formed in 1998, generally has given its No. 1 ranking to skill players - quarterbacks, running backs or wide receivers. Running back Bryce Brown, of Wichita, Kan., was the site's top player in 2009 and he signed with Tennessee.

Mauer is the only other Minnesota high school athlete to earn Rivals' No. 1 ranking. He was the nation's top recruit in 2000 when he starred at quarterback for Cretin-Derham Hall. Mauer ultimately turned down a football scholarship from Florida State to enter the major-league baseball draft, where he was selected first overall by the Twins in 2001.

So, what's exactly in the drinking fountains at Cretin-Derham Hall?

"I just think when young athletes see the success that guys have had there over the years, and you combine that with good coaches, good discipline and good academics, together it's a huge asset," said Weinke, whose family still lives in St. Paul and his brother, Derek, coaches the Raiders' "B" baseball team. "You've had trailblazers at that school like Molitor, Walsh, and Mauer. It's just a great environment."

Weinke blazed a neat trail, too.

He played professional baseball for seven years out of Cretin-Derham before he signed at FSU. He was a record-setting quarterback who led the Seminoles to the 1999 national title and became the oldest Heisman Trophy winner at age 28. Weinke played seven years in the NFL before he landed at Triton Financial, an investment company that also features former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, his brother Koy Detmer and former NFL quarterback Jeff Blake.

In many ways, recruiting is an investment by schools. Weinke has been there, done that. Cretin-Derham Hall has another high-profile athlete in Henderson, who doesn't seem to mind the fuss of being tabbed the nation's top football recruit.

"Being No. 1 means a lot to me, but I don't pay much attention to it," Henderson told The St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press. "I see myself as any other guy who's trying to go to college. I want to be like them."