Josh Henson Is More Than Just An ‘OSU Guy’

Mike Gundy had to replace two position coaches this offseason with the departure of running backs coach Marcus Arroyo to Oregon and the dismissal of O-line coach Greg Adkins. All that shuffling followed the best rushing output in four years for the Cowboys.

Why the change? And how do Gundy and Co. keep their running game moving in an upward trajectory?

Adkins shut the door on his future at OSU with recruiting, or a lack thereof. The Cowboys, who are still trying to recover from the empty cupboard left years ago by former O-line coach Joe Wickline, didn’t take a single high school recruit for the offensive line last season. That may be the most obvious difference in Josh Henson and his predecessor.

Henson, who was hired as an offensive consultant by the Cowboys prior to last season is a nationally recognized recruiter. In his previous stint at OSU, he went from a graduate assistant to the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in two years.

Les Miles took him to SEC country twelve years ago where he was selected as a one of the nation’s top 25 recruiters twice at LSU. Henson also coached Missouri’s offensive line before being promoted to offensive coordinator at Missouri.

The former O-lineman and four-year letterman at OSU talked about where his group is during spring camp.

“Things are going well,” said Henson. “The kids are working extremely hard and I like their passion and the way they’re into learning and getting better. We’ve got a lot of work to do. A lot of technique work. We’ve also got to work on finishing and getting our intensity up, but I like the way they’re working and that’s all you can ask.”

The Tuttle native left OSU’s staff earlier this year to become a coach at Arizona State. That was until Adkins was let go. We can assume one of Mike Gundy’s first phone calls was to Henson.

“I hated the timing of it just for the way things worked out,” Henson said “but this is my home and this is where I want to be. This is a dream come true for me to play on the offensive line here and to now be those guys’ coach. Now it’s about transition to getting those guys to work and making it the best that it can be.”

Being home is great and “OSU guys” have been successful in Stillwater. But Henson’s greatest value will be producing results on the field and (hopefully) bringing some consistency to a position that’s seen a lot of turnover lately.