Henderson named ACC Specialist sixth time

Quadree Henderson was named the ACC Specialist of the Week following his standout performance against Georgia Tech — his sixth time receiving the honor in his Pitt career.

This is the first time this season the junior wide receiver received the weekly specialist honor. His standout performance in the Sept. 23 game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets propelled him to the lead of the contenders.

Henderson had an 80-yard punt return touchdown in Saturday’s game — one of only two team touchdowns. Although the Panthers ultimately lost the game, Henderson’s return marked the team’s longest since Jay Jones’ 84-yard return in 1993.

As a high school athlete, he was rated the No. 21 all-purpose back by 247Sports. Henderson graduated from Alexis I. du Pont High School in Wilmington, Delaware, and was rated a top overall prospect in Delaware, according to ESPN.

In his first season at Pitt, Henderson led the Panthers with 504 kickoff return yards on 18 attempts. His play took off in his second season at Pitt, earning him the title of ACC Specialist of the Week five times in 2016 for his performances against Syracuse, Penn State, Virginia, Miami and Duke.

Henderson accumulated 2,083 all-purpose yards for his sophomore season. He ranks second on Pitt’s leaderboard, only behind tailback Tony Dorsett with 2,217 yards in his 1976 season. His 2016 season earned him Consensus First Team All-American status.

Henderson was also selected as an Associated Press preseason All-American player for 2017. So far this year, he’s had the team’s longest reception with a 74-yard catch in the game against Oklahoma State.

With eight games remaining — seven of those being against ACC teams — in regular season play, Henderson still has time to accumulate more recognition as an all-purpose player. He could even break double digits with his ACC Specialist of the Week titles.

His next chance to stand out is in the team’s matchup against Rice on Saturday, Sept. 30, at noon.