Texas Football: 3 reasons JUCO ILB Lakia Henry should choose Horns

2. Range and lateral quickness fits perfectly with Todd Orlando

It’s hard to imagine that a linebacker that has as much speed and range as Henry wouldn’t be a good fit with quite a few Power Five defenses. However, what’s different between Henry’s fit with the Texas football program and other defenses is that the two or three linebacker sets this team runs needs a ton of range from rover spot.

The departing Gary Johnson was the speedy rover that covered a ton of ground for the Horns for the past two years. Johnson and former All-American linebacker Malik Jefferson were a very formidable duo back in 2017, and that’s something third-year defensive coordinator Todd Orlando can build again starting in 2019.

If Orlando is able to nab the commitment and signed National Letter of Intent from Henry on National Signing Day, he’d have a piece that will immediately help with the roster turnover in the front seven. The shot at immediate playing time is a huge draw for JUCO prospects nowadays.

At 6-foot-0 and 225 pounds with excellent versatility for an inside linebacker, it appears that Henry has all the tools necessary to thrive in this Orlando scheme. He is similar to the profile Gary Johnson had as a Texas linebacker, but he could be an even better player at the Power Five level. He is a better fit with the Texas defense than either Arkansas or Ole Miss.