It’s no secret that Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson battled through injury during the Buckeyes’ 2022 campaign.
After sustaining a broken bone in his foot and ligament damage during Ohio State’s win over Toledo on Sept. 17, 2022, Henderson did all he could to continue playing at a high level. However, the injury became too much as Henderson only appeared in three of Ohio State’s final seven games — including the regular season finale against Michigan and the Peach Bowl against Georgia — and forced him to undergo surgery to repair the damage in his foot.
In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Henderson said the injury became a point of contention between him and the coaching staff, noting that he was hurt by some of the circumstances that surrounded the injury. But after deep conversations with head coach Ryan Day, running backs coach Tony Alford and his teammates, Henderson is remaining engaged with the Buckeyes and hoping for a healthier and more prosperous junior season.
“It was definitely frustrating last season because I had certain feelings about certain things that evolved around this building,” Henderson said. “I just thank my teammates for keeping me uplifted, and keeping my spirits high because that was my first injury that truly affected my performance. I never had a long-term injury like that before. Any tweaks I ever had, never affected my performance.
“It definitely affected me a lot mentally, but I just thank all my teammates for keeping me motivated and keeping me going.”
Although his sophomore campaign, as a whole, did not go to plan, Henderson still showed flashes of the potential he exuded during his freshman campaign — in which he rushed 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns — at times last season.
Henderson started his second campaign strong, churning out 178 yards and two touchdowns while playing within a committee alongside Miyan Williams across Ohio State’s first two games. But, the Buckeyes’ 77-21 win over Toldeo was the last time he played at full strength during the season, in which he carried the rock four times for 19 yards and a score.
“(The last time I felt like myself) was before that third game, when I injured myself,” Henderson said. “After that, I never felt like myself again. But, I’m just finally being able to feel like myself again and get that confidence back.”
Henderson remained in the rotation the following week against Wisconsin, rushing for a season-best 121 yards, and after one-week hiatus — missing Ohio State’s win over Rutgers on Oct. 1 — Henderson rumbled for 118 yards and a touchdown against Michigan State on Oct. 8. Ohio State’s idle week came at an optimal time for Henderson, as he received an extra week to heal prior to the Buckeyes’ meeting with Iowa on Oct. 22.
But, he remained hobbled against Iowa, rushing for only 38 yards on 11 attempts. He was largely stifled by Penn State a week later as well, but busted out a go-ahead 41-yard touchdown run to give Ohio State a 23-21 lead — an advantage they would never relinquish. Henderson only appeared in one game from that point forward, rushing for 19 yards on 11 carries against Maryland while adding a 31-yard receiving touchdown on the Buckeyes’ opening drive.
As Henderson was clearly hampered by injury all season, he pointed to the physical limitations it caused as difficult factors for him throughout the campaign.
“I fractured my sesamoid bone. You have two of those, and when they did the X-ray, I basically had three. So my bone had split, and that’s the bone you need to actually push off, so basically, I couldn’t push off all last season,” Henderson said. “Every time I tried to push off, I was basically refracturing that bone and then I tore some ligaments and tendons around it. My foot was basically beaten up.”
Prior to Ohio State’s trip to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl, Henderson underwent surgery to repair the injured foot. As a result of the late surgery, Henderson has been limited during Ohio State’s spring camp, but he said that he’s working ahead of schedule in his rehab.
“I’ve been ahead of schedule for a while now,” Henderson said.
Although Henderson has been largely held out of contact drills, Alford said he’s remained engaged on the task at hand, and is continuing to help push the running backs unit as a whole forward.
“I can see that in his demeanor, how he’s walking around the building now, how he approaches the meetings and is engaged in the meetings,” Alford said. “Trey’s hungry to play but he’s very unselfish.”
