‘Divine intervention’: LaDarius Henderson’s journey with faith and football

(Photo courtesy: Thecollective.asu/Instagram)

At the midway point of 10th grade – upon transferring to Waxahachie High School in Texas – LaDarius Henderson was not planning to play football. In his mind, that door had been shut. The 6–3, 195-pound kid roaming around the high school south of Dallas had never played a snap in his life, and didn’t really want to. 

But that mindset changed one day when he walked into Waxahachie’s front office and encountered the school’s offensive line coach. The coach seemingly saw potential in the slightly-built student. 

Hesitant, Henderson decided to try it out.

In the offseason between sophomore and junior year, Henderson gained 80 pounds to boost his chances of playing on the offensive line. Still, his shot on the gridiron was seemingly still far from the flame and out of his control when he began school as a junior.

Yet, when a four-star left tackle just happened to transfer schools, Henderson was thrown into the fire, inserted as a starter and practically taught the game from scratch.

Fast forward two and a half years, and Henderson, who developed into a three-star prospect according to 24/7 Sports, found himself in a similar spot at Arizona State: inexperienced, fed to the wolves and yet in a fortunate position to thrive. 

He got his chance to start as a 17-year-old freshman with the Sun Devils in 2019 after redshirt senior left tackle Zach Robertson sat out the season for personal reasons and transferred a year later. Now, with his third year of college football complete at just 20 years old, the junior left guard has just happened to set himself up to possibly play in the NFL once he graduates. 

On the surface, there’s no way it should have worked out for Henderson. It doesn’t add up, and he’d be the first to admit it. With all of the so-called coincidences that gave him the opportunity to be where he is now, LaDarius can only attribute it all to one thing: God.

“I don’t feel like those are things that I just did myself,” Henderson said. “I feel like that’s definitely divine intervention for me. That’s why I feel like I have to do something with this (football) – like God is calling me to do – because he’s done so much for me.”

This level of thinking was more than just a slight realization for Henderson. LaTasha Vaughn, Henderson’s mother, says he’ll sometimes “have these little epiphanies, and he’ll just have to come and tell me. He says ‘There’s no way … I know that this is a God thing. It’s nothing but a God thing.’” 

Vaughn knew the significance of her son’s awareness immediately.

“Never forget that,” Vaughn tells Henderson in those moments. “I don’t care how far it takes you. Never forget what you just said. Because that’s the reason that you are where you are right now.”

LaDarius’ journey with his faith began in Waxahachie. Growing up, he attended a small church consisting of mostly family and little youth in Glenn Heights, Texas. 

While Henderson maintains he’s always had a strong connection to Christianity, something truly clicked when the junior moved to Waxahachie and attended Oaks Church, a vibrant community founded in 1921 that averaged 290 students in its youth program last year. Vaughn said “that was [LaDarius’] first time really seeing kids that were not ashamed to be Christians and that really loved Jesus … and didn’t care who saw.”

Henderson joined a youth group at the church and was joined by several of his high school teammates and Waxahachie’s then-head coach – former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna.

Along with Oaks Church, Kitna was the catalyst for Henderson’s newfound devotion to Christianity. He helped set up the baptism of 70-80 players on Henderson’s team, but the lineman is a special case. 

Kitna says he has a “disciple relationship” with LaDarius, one in which he’s “trying to lead him and help him just navigate the world as a godly man.” Even though both have gone their separate ways from Waxahachie (Kitna is now the head coach at Burleson High School, about 40 miles from Waxahachie), the bond remains strong due to Henderson’s willingness to respond and keep in touch. 

Henderson also has a lasting relationship with Kitna’s wife, Jeni, which started with him going to Jeni’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich station every day at Waxahachie’s practices. Since those high school days, both Jon and Jeni have helped guide LaDarius from the day he flew on a plane for the first time, set up a bank account and when his car broke down. 

“We could coach in the NFL, we could coach in college and make a lot more money doing what we do,” Jon Kitna said. “But what’s important to [Jeni and I] is seeing lives get changed, and people’s lives impacted for the better. Whether that means they become a Christian or not – that’s kind of the ultimate thing – but it’s really just more about them developing the character and things that they’re going to need to be better husbands, better fathers [and] better workers when they leave the building, when they [graduate].”

One must understand Henderson’s small-town story of faith and football in Waxahachie when considering his leap to ASU. As a starting offensive lineman at a Power-5 program, while enrolled at one of the largest universities in the country, Henderson has been able to sustain his faith – and grow it even more. 

In 2021, LaDarius started attending a program called The Collective, a ministry partnered with North Phoenix Baptist Church that has Wednesday gatherings on ASU’s Tempe campus. The meetings include student-led worship and sermons, in addition to games and food to provide student interaction. 

Henderson has also forged his own “connect group” through the church, where a small group of friends hold a bible study on Sunday nights and pray for each other.

Ryan Jenkins, the college pastor who leads The Collective meetings, has a unique connection with Henderson. He played wide receiver at ASU from 2015-2018 and formed a relationship with Kitna, who was coaching at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix during Jenkins’ senior season. Kitna then connected Jenkins with Henderson, who would arrive in Tempe a year later. 

Now, Jenkins considers Henderson his little brother.

“Every time we’re together we talk about life,” Jenkins said. “We talk about football, we talk about faith, talk about girls. We just hang out.”

At The Collective, LaDarius is always the biggest person in the room – with his size and personality. He not only invites some of his ASU teammates, but has made friendships with regular students as well.

“I think it just reflects on LD [LaDarius], just how likable and charismatic of a guy he is,” Jenkins said. “People just want to go wherever LD is and they want to be a part of something if he’s a part of something.”

Henderson also recognizes this trait but takes more meaning to it, considering the position he plays within the trenches.

“My persona as an offensive lineman – I’m supposed to be some big, mean, scary guy,” Henderson said. “On the field, I try to be as mean and scary as I can, but off the field [I’m] like a welcoming, loving dude. 

“That’s probably one of my gifts. People around me – they feel better, I guess. I feel like I’m a person that can start a community.”

Jenkins, Kitna and Vaughn all call Henderson a gentle giant. Vaughn laughs at her son’s big bear hugs, and used to jokingly worry that opposing teams would take advantage of him on the field if they found out how nice he was.

Instead, Henderson has been a menace on the field, and his hard work is being noticed with a Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention award during ASU’s 2021 season serving as proof. Some of Henderson’s highlights include being honored as the Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week after ASU’s Week 5 game against UCLA, and laying a vicious pancake block against Washington on Nov. 13 that went viral on Twitter. 

The stats back up the highlights and hardware, too – Henderson only gave up one sack and 10 quarterback pressures during the regular season in 2021.

ASU head coach Herm Edwards said that since LaDarius was a freshman starter, he’s matured as a player and has developed a voice on the team. Edwards tells him now that “when you say things, it means something to people.”

Henderson’s maturity and leadership are two of the biggest areas where his football life intersects with his life off the field and his journey as a Christian, and the hints of his headship were there from an early age.

As a toddler, Henderson would always wear a watch even though he couldn’t tell time. After hearing someone say the hour out loud, his answer was repeatedly “8 o’clock” when asked where the hands were. Additionally, Vaughn said she has a friend whose nickname for Henderson was “35” – a reference to the age he seemed to be even in his youth.

The name has stuck to this day.

“My mom used to always say, ‘That kid acts like he’s been there before,’” Vaughn said. “She said [LaDarius is] like a little man.”  

Jenkins has also seen Henderson’s maturity grow at The Collective, where one of the program’s goals is for its members to understand the value of being a godly husband and father.

While Henderson hasn’t reached those stages yet, Jenkins sees him “valuing not just how great [he] can be as a football player, but [how] he’s really been growing into this understanding of him valuing, ‘How can I grow as a man?’”

Henderson’s leadership might best be described by Kitna, who says the lineman “has a great protective personality.” While Kitna referenced Henderson’s relationship with his two sons to elaborate, that quality can be traced back to when LaDarius was just four years old – the age his parents divorced.

Henderson was now the only man in the house.

He saw me just doing everything that I had to do [after getting divorced],” Vaughn said of Henderson. “No matter what, no matter how hard it was, no matter how long it took, or no matter what the situation around me was, he saw me doing it and just stepping out there and going for whatever it was.

“I think that’s what gave him that drive. I think that’s what made him say, ‘If my Mom can get out here and do this, I can get out here and do this. And not only just for me, but for her and for my family [as a whole]. Because one day, I’m going to be the one that they look to.’”

In addition to seeing his Mom push through hard times, Henderson also witnessed his father start an insurance agency all on his own. These experiences, along with his preexisting personality, made him “addicted to greatness.”

Ladarius’ unselfish drive has also led to him helping others instead of just looking for self-growth. He performed Vaughn’s second baptism at Oaks Church in 2018, with Henderson telling his mother, “I want this for you just like you wanted this for me.” With Vaughn having helped raise Henderson all these years, she described the moment as full circle.

Henderson’s protective leadership role, combined with Kitna mentoring him into a “kingdom man,” has now carried over into his leadership at the bible studies at ASU. With Henderson being heavily utilized in ASU’s offense – recording 741 snaps out of 753 offensive plays in the regular season in 2021 – and likely having an NFL future, Jenkins is impressed that the left guard has kept a focus on his faith.

“It says that LD is interested in making more of a mark than just on the football field as a leader,” Jenkins said. “It’s so easy for a guy like that just to only focus on leading in the football world. But for LD to put equal effort into leading people in the Christian faith, it’s just amazing to see. It honestly just shows me that he just wants to make an impact with his time at ASU that’s bigger than just the football field.”

Freshman offensive lineman Isaia Glass – who has been attending The Collective’s Wednesday meetings with Henderson for almost a year – noticed his drive on the field first. The freshman left tackle says that “non-biased, LD is definitely the hardest worker I’ve seen when it comes to football.” He says LaDarius is a quiet leader by example, taking diligent notes during film meetings and going full-speed during conditioning when everyone else is tired. 

When taking this into account, Glass acknowledges how special LaDarius’ off-the-field activities are.

“It’s definitely not easy,” Glass said. “Especially in today’s day and age we are in, and to be a college athlete, it’s definitely not easy to try to uphold our beliefs and try to set the standards that we try to live by. The fact that he does good at doing both on and off the field is definitely inspiring for sure.”

One cannot easily separate faith from football for Henderson. In fact, there almost isn’t one without the other. 

LaDarius believes he is the best guard in the Pac-12, and he says that confidence comes from God. Vaughn and Jenkins describe football as a vehicle to share Jesus with people, and for the Lord to guide one on their path. 

Glass is a perfect example.

“Me and him can have those off-the-field talks, in-the-locker-room talks that maybe other guys aren’t familiar with,” Glass said. “I think probably one of the big things [we talk about] is just purity. Being an athlete, you get a lot of attention, and you get a lot of stuff thrown at you. So just trying to balance and really just stay focused and not let things try to hinder you away from God.”

While Glass says he uses his social media platform to spread the Gospel, he shares that Henderson values in-person conversations as his preferred medium. The lineman doesn’t get into heated debates, but instead enjoys answering his teammates’ questions in the locker room.

As Vaughn noted, Kitna taught Henderson how Christianity intersects with football. The former NFL quarterback says it turns a person into an unselfish teammate, a great leader and a great overall football player. From the passion with which Kitna and others spoke, Henderson seems to be all of those things.

“The biggest thing about our faith, when you really boil down our faith to the simplest form which is [that] God says ‘love me and love others,’” Kitna said. “As a teammate, what that does for LD, and for anyone that takes Christ seriously, is it helps you avoid the rollercoaster ride that can happen in sports. 

“[Because] sports are hard. Sports are tough. Sometimes it can feel like you just can’t do anything right. But when you truly understand what God is asking you to do when he’s your number one priority, and he asks you to do everything as if unto me, not man – don’t look for the approval of man, don’t look for the approval of your coaches, don’t look for the approval of social media, don’t look for the approval of the fan – just do everything as if unto me. When you do that, you tend to have good things happen to your life.”

Good things have happened for Henderson, and they seem destined to continue. His NFL Draft stock will presumably rise in 2022. With starting quarterback Jayden Daniels also staying for his fourth year, the Sun Devils will look for another winning season under Edwards. 

Vaughn always thought that LaDarius would grow up to be a preacher. Edwards’ comments on the lineman don’t make that seem too far-fetched. But what’s for certain is that LaDarius wants to go to the NFL. Even there, Vaughn says it will be another platform for her son to continue touching people with Christ. 

“I don’t know exactly how, or what that plan looks like,” Vaughn said. “But I definitely believe that that plan is part of a bigger plan. I honestly think it’s totally a God thing.”

For Henderson, the path has been far from picture-perfect. However, doors started opening, and he was able to walk through. Vaughn recognizes the difficult journey, not only for her son, but for herself. With this clarity, she sees the good that came out of it.

“It makes me feel like everything that we went through, or everything that I went through as a single parent – with my children being at such a young age whenever I divorced from their Dad – it makes me feel like I did something right in there somewhere,” Vaughn said. “That it was worth it. It was worth the hard days, the hard nights, the tears … 

“It just makes me feel good to know that something turned out right.”

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