American Football : American Football: Potsdam’s quarterback Jaylon Henderson: the best in Europe?

The Potsdam Royals entered the play-offs of the German Football League as the absolute top team. The Royals’ star player is quarterback Jaylon Henderson, who many consider to be the most complete football player in Europe at the moment. By Fabian Friedmann

The dominance has a name in the German Football League (GFL): Jaylon Henderson. The quarterback of the Potsdam Royals completely overshadows the national competition. The 27-year-old American is at the top in all relevant GFL statistics: He throws 374 yards per game, gets 78.7 percent of his attempts to his teammates and has already thrown 72 touchdown passes this season – in just 12 games. By comparison: The second-placed player in this statistic, Allgäu Comets playmaker Xeaiver Bullock, has only managed 48 passes into the end zone.

Impressive success figures

“Of course he has outstanding skills. But it would be a bit easy to blame him alone for the success,” says Royals coach Michael Vogt. Of course, American football is a sport in which the team spirit plays a big role. Without a functioning offensive line, equipped with tacklers who protect the quarterback, no playmaker in the world can throw so many successful passes.

But the Royals’ success figures (12 wins from 12 games in the GFL) and an average of over 60 points per game are very closely linked to the name Jaylon Henderson.

The aura of the captain

Henderson was the missing piece of the puzzle for Brandenburg. He turned the Royals from a good GFL team into an absolute championship favorite. But what exactly sets Potsdam’s star player apart? “He is incredibly athletic and has special arm strength. Jaylon can throw the ball incredibly deep,” says his coach about his captain’s physical attributes. 1.93 meters tall and 95 kilos are the measurements that underline Jaylon Henderson’s athleticism and make it clear that he is not only a good thrower, but can also run fast with the ball. Thanks to his size, he can easily take the subsequent tackles from his opponents.

There is another gift. Henderson has a talent that distinguishes the good quarterbacks from the very good ones: intuition. The coaches may prescribe plays, but something unexpected can always happen during the game. Then you need to make quick and, above all, correct decisions – and Henderson makes them. “He can make slight changes, reads defensive lines well, is intelligent and knows what he has to do in crucial moments,” explains Michael Vogt. Henderson keeps an overview, never panics even under pressure and exudes tremendous self-confidence.

His coach quickly starts to rave about it: “He creates an aura of a captain who radiates invulnerability. You can practically see that he is a winner.” And this aura radiates to those around him. Jaylon Henderson doesn’t want to hear any of this praise: “I try to maintain an underdog mentality because that’s exactly what makes me hungry and spurs me on to become the best player I can be.”

From the financial advisor in the “Rice Bowl”

The career of the man from Kingwood in Texas began at the college of Boise State University in the US state of Idaho. He played a solid season for the Boise Broncos team in 2019. In nine games he scored 1,080 yards for 14 touchdowns. But he cannot recommend himself for the big NFL because Corona got in the way. The official “NFL Scouting Combine”, in which college players can show their skills in front of NFL scouts, was canceled. Only the top players make it into the league. “I never had the chance to show my throws in front of an NFL coach,” says Henderson.

So he decided to take a different path. First, he worked for a year and a half as a financial advisor in Idaho. “But I felt like I still had enough energy left in the tank to play football,” said Henderson. He moved to Las Vegas to play professional arena football. In 2022, he had the opportunity to go to Japan. In 2023, Henderson played a perfect regular season without losing with his team Panasonic Impulse, but his team lost the final of the Rice Bowl.

David Saul’s good network

The fact that a quarterback who had just lost a final on the other side of the world in Asia was signed by the Potsdam Royals a short time later shows how well connected you have to be in the world of football. The Royals have the network of their tackle coach David Saul, who keeps his eyes open for good players around the world: “He contacted me again and again and didn’t let up,” says Henderson. Although the quarterback repeatedly asserted that he didn’t want to play in Europe and wanted to go back to the States, Saul stuck with him. At some point he said yes. For Henderson, it was a very “life-changing” decision, as he says today.

“When it became clear that we needed a new quarterback, we drew up a list and Jaylon was relatively high up from the start,” said his coach Michael Vogt about the signing. After the first talks with Henderson, it quickly became clear to those in charge: It could be a good fit.

The secret of the Potsdam Royals’ success

The Potsdam Royals dominate the German Football League. The defending champions are unbeaten after ten games. Week after week, they send their opponents home with over 50 points. Success is the product of hard work. By Matthias Gindorfmore

Potsdam Royals: the hunted

Jaylon Henderson has been proving week after week in the GFL since 2023 how well it fits. Last year they won the championship, the “German Bowl”. This year they dominated the league even more clearly. The team should not underestimate any opponents in the upcoming playoffs (kick-off against the Allgäu Comets on Saturday at 4 p.m.), stresses Michael Vogt. But “if we perform to our potential, then we are the team that you have to beat to become champions.” He hopes that the key players in particular will get through the games as injury-free as possible.

First and foremost, of course, Jaylon Henderson. The football portal [Football Aktuell] recently described the Royals quarterback as the “most complete football player in Europe”. An appreciation that is absolutely justified from his coach’s point of view. “He really has everything and would be the undisputed leader in any ELF team.” But, and this should not be forgotten, according to Vogt: “We are also a very good team. He doesn’t throw to people we just picked up on the side of the road.”

Henderson’s future uncertain

It is uncertain whether the star quarterback will still be wearing the Potsdam Royals jersey next season. According to Vogt, there were already “offers en masse” for Henderson last year. We will have to wait and see what other teams put on the table to get him away from Potsdam. “I know that he feels extremely comfortable in Potsdam,” Vogt remains optimistic. Even a move to the USA seems possible. It is difficult to predict in which league.

Jaylon Henderson himself has not yet completely given up on his big dream of playing in the NFL, although he wants to remain realistic. “I know how the system works. I always try to be the best person, wherever my feet take me. And the rest will work itself out.”

Broadcast: rbb24, 21.09.2024, 21:45