UW DE Henningsen looks to lead
MADISON – Defensive end Matt Henningsen feared the worst as stood on the sideline at Michigan Stadium and watched his Wisconsin teammates throttle the Wolverines on Nov. 14.
His left bicep, torn out of place early in the game, was covered in a protective wrap. Henningsen’s 2020 season likely was over after just two games.
“We had a pretty good idea,” Henningsen told reporters on Monday. “When you have any muscle tear you can kind of see just how it looks. It just doesn’t look right.”
UW orthopedic surgeon Geoffrey Baer, who was with team in Ann Arbor, immediately realized the severity of the injury.
“He looked at it and he knew,” Henningsen said. “He didn’t want to let me down at the time, so he said we’ll get an MRI.
“He told me the next day he knew that was going to be it for me for the rest of the year.”
Henningsen underwent surgery three days after the game, was fully recovered about 2 1⁄2 months later and has been full-go all spring.
“He is 100%,” first-year defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej said. “He is a genius academically and he is a freak show athletically. He is right at or maybe exceeding where you’d hope he would be at this time.”
As the most experienced defensive end on the UW roster, Henningsen’s leadership and productivity will be crucial the rest of the off-season and during the 2021 season.
“Anytime you have a fairly significant injury,” Kolodziej said, “your attitude and your approach to your rehab sets the groundwork and stage for your return to play. And your investment in that process, staying connected, staying in the fold mentally and then continuing to progress physically.
“So hats off to him. He had a great
winter strength and conditioning and put himself physically in position to step right into spring ball Day 1 and not miss a beat.”
Henningsen, a former walk-on from Menomonee Falls High School, redshirted in 2017 and then started 15 games and played in 27 in 2018 and 2019.
He knows UW must replace two stout ends in Isaiahh Loudermilk and Garrett Rand from last season.
“It is definitely a step to take on a greater role in the (meeting) room,” he said. “I’ve had great examples of leaders.”
The leaders Henningsen cited: Conor Sheehy, Alec James, Chikwe Obasih, Olive Sagapolu, Rand and Loudermilk.
“It is helping coach the young guys up,” he explained, “getting them better every day, leading by example and showing them the way, essentially.”
Henningsen’s rehabilitation timeline wasn’t for the weak.
“I was back in the weight room doing leg work and starting to run and things three or four weeks after the surgery,” he said. “And then after that it just kept progressing. I kept moving it and kept doing the PT with the trainers.
“I got back to full-go almost two months and a couple weeks post-surgery. I was able to hit PRs (personal-best marks) at about three or four months after the surgery on all my lifts so I came back pretty strong.”
Henningsen, who earned a degree in electrical engineering in 31⁄2 years, has spent time this spring tutoring freshman end Mike Jarvis, who enrolled early.
“Even for me initially,” Kolodziej said, “I could go to him and get reliable information in terms of what, how and why things the way they were.
“He is encyclopedic and photograph with his memory and recall. A great resource for all of us.”
That includes junior nose tackle Keeanu Benton, who has started 11 games and played in 20.
“I wish I had his brain on my shoulders,” Benton joked Monday when asked about Henningsen. “Anybody on the defense can come ask him what they’re doing and he can probably tell them. His mind is just filled with knowledge and that is a great person to learn from.”