2024 Football Roster

August 31, 2024, Evanston, IL: A game between Northwestern Football and Miami Ohio at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, ILon Saturday, August 31, 2024. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Northwestern Athletics)
Photo by: GRIFFIN QUINN/Northwestern Athletics
Henning_Indiana
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
November 18, 2023, Evanston, IL: A game between Northwestern Football and Purdue at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL on Saturday, November 18, 2023. (Photo by Stephen Carrera/Northwestern Athletics)
Photo by: Stephen Carrera/Northwestern Athletics
November 25, 2023, Champaign, IL: A game between Northwestern Football and Illinois at University of Illinois Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL on Saturday, November 25, 2023. (Photo by Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics)
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
December 23, 2023, Las Vegas, NV: A game between Northwestern Football and Utah in the SRS Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, December 23, 2023. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Northwestern Athletics)
Photo by: GRIFFIN QUINN/Northwestern Athletics
July 25, 2024, Evanston, IL: Members of the Northwestern Football team pose for photos as part of Internal Media Days at Walter Athletics Center in Evanston, IL on Thursday, July 25, 2024. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Northwestern Athletics)
Jersey Number 8

A.J. Henning

  • Height:
    5-10
  • Weight:
    192
  • Position:
    WR
  • Class:
    Graduate Student
  • Hometown:
    Frankfort, Ill.
  • High School:
    Lincoln-Way East
  • Prev School:
    Michigan

2024 Graduate Student:
Appeared in 12 games and started 11, notched career-bests and team-high marks of 59 receptions and 603 receiving yards while also hauling in four receiving touchdowns ... Served as Northwestern’s primary punt returner, returning 12 punts for 136 total yards (11.3 yards per return) ... Named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention as a punt returner ... Among Big Ten players, ranked seventh in punt return yards and ninth in receptions ... Finished fourth among all Big Ten players in punt return average, his 11.3 yards per return were the most by a Wildcat since Venric Mark (18.7) in 2012 ... Led the team with eight catches for 52 yards against Duke (9/6) ... Posted a game-high seven receptions for a then-career-high 117 yards and one touchdown against Eastern Illinois (9/14) ... Led the team with five receptions for 41 yards, as well as season highs with three punt returns for 39 yards, against Washington (9/21) ... Tallied six catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns against No. 23 Indiana (10/5) … Marked the first multi-touchdown game of his career, and became the first Wildcat to have 2+ receiving touchdowns against an AP ranked team since Jeremy Ebert had three against No. 24 Illinois in 2011 ... Totaled 61 receiving yards on three receptions in a win at Maryland (10/11) ... Logged five catches for 42 yards vs. Ohio State (11/16) ... In the final game of his career, registered career-highs with 10 receptions for 119 receiving yards, while also reeling in a touchdown, against Illinois (11/30) … Became the first NU player to record multiple games of 100+ receiving yards and at least one receiving touchdown in the same season since Austin Carr in 2016

2023 Senior:
Played in 12 games and made eight starts, totaling 45 catches for 418 yards (9.3 ypc) and four touchdowns, adding 27 carries for 110 yards (7.3 ypc) and one touchdown on the ground ... On special teams, returned 10 punts for 69 yards (6.9 ypr) and 15 kickoffs for 330 yards (22.0 ypr), which ranked fourth in the Big Ten ... Named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and Academic All-Big Ten ... Finished 12th in the Big Ten posting 77.3 all-purpose yards per game … His 927 total all-purpose yards were the most by a Northwestern wide receiver since Austin Carr in 2016 (1247) ... Posted 399 combined kick return yards, which ranked third in the Big Ten … Totaled the most combined kick return yards by a Wildcat since Riley Lees (426) in 2019 … His 330 kickoff return yards were the most by a Wildcat in a season since Solomon Vault posted 560 yards in 2016 ... First Wildcat to post 4+ receiving touchdowns with at least one rushing touchdown since Mark Philmore in 2005 … Joined Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. as the only Big Ten players to accomplish the feat in 2023 ... Was the only Big Ten receiver this season to post 400+ receiving yards and 100+ rushing yards ... Over the season’s final four games, posted 50+ receiving yards three times and scored two touchdowns ... Totaled 42 receiving yards on four catches in his Northwestern debut against Rutgers (9/3) ... Posted 51 all-purpose yards, making two catches for 16 yards and rushing four times for 35 yards and a touchdown against UTEP (9/9) ... Hauled in his first-career receiving touchdown against Duke (9/16) ... Caught the game-tying touchdown with two seconds remaining in a comeback win over Minnesota, tallying five catches for 29 yards and a touchdown (9/23) ... Recorded a team-high five catches for 52 yards against Maryland (10/28) ... Logged a season-high punt return of 23 yards against Iowa (11/4) ... Totaled three catches for a career-high 70 yards and one touchdown in a road victory against Wisconsin (11/11) … Scored the team’s second touchdown of the day on a 23-yard reception … Had a 41-yard reception that marked the longest of his career ... Caught four passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, along with season-highs of five kick returns and 98 kick return yards at Illinois (11/25) ... Notched a career-high six catches for 57 yards in the Las Vegas Bowl victory over Utah (12/23)

2022 (Michigan):
Appeared in 13 games as a wide receiver and punt returner; returned 28 punts for 201 yards (7.2 ypr) with one touchdown and 11 kickoffs for 241 yards (21.9 ypr), and added nine catches for 60 yards (6.7 ypc) and nine yards on three carries ... All-Big Ten selection as a return man (Second Team, Coaches and Media) ... Named the team's Special Teams Player of the Year ... Totaled three touches with a six-yard carry, seven-yard catch, and a 10-yard punt return against Colorado State (9/3) ... Logged a 35-yard punt return against Hawaii (9/10) ... Started in the slot catching four passes and returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown against UConn (9/17) ... Returned three punts with a long return of 13 yards at Iowa (10/1) ... Caught a 16-yard pass, returned four punts for 36 yards, and returned three kickoffs at Indiana (10/8) ... Returned six times (four punts) and had a 31-yard kickoff return against Nebraska (11/12) ... Caught two passes and registered five returns against TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl/CFP Semifinal, including a 16-yard punt return (12/31)

2021 (Michigan):
Appeared in all 14 games at wide receiver, caught 10 passes for 79 yards (7.9 ypc) and carried nine times for 162 yards (18.0 ypc) with two touchdowns, totaled 29 punt returns for 274 yards (9.4 ypr) and seven kick returns for 177 yards (25.3 ypr) and one touchdown ... All-Big Ten performer as a return man (Third Team, Coaches and Media) ... Had a 74-yard end-around rush for a touchdown and caught one pass for 11 yards against Western Michigan (9/4) ... Caught a 24-yard pass and had one 26-yard run against Northern Illinois (9/18) ... Returned a punt for 29 yards against Rutgers (9/25) ... Caught two passes for 15 yards and returned three punts against Northwestern (10/23) ... Caught a seven-yard pass and returned three punts with a long of 22 yards at Michigan State (10/30) ... Rushed once for 18 yards and returned two punts against Indiana (11/6) ... Received a lateral on a kickoff return for an 81-yard touchdown against Maryland (11/20) ... Scored a touchdown on a jet sweep, and also had a nine-yard catch as part of 107 all-purpose yards against Ohio State (11/27) ... Took a carry 29 yards and returned two punts against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game (12/4) ... Returned a punt 16 yards and caught one pass against Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl/CFP Semifinal (12/31)

2020 (Michigan):
Appeared in all six games with one start at wide receiver; carried five times and caught six passes for 74 all-purpose yards ... Caught a 14-yard pass and added a 6-yard carry in his collegiate debut at Minnesota (10/24) ... Turned two touches into 24 yards, including a 15-yard catch against Michigan State (10/31) ... Made his first career start catching three passes for a long of 28 yards against Penn State (11/28)

High School:
2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Illinois ... Had a 247Sports Composite ranking as a four-star recruit, the 92nd overall player nationally, the 17th-best wide receiver in the country and the top player in the state of Illinois ... Four-star prospect according to 247Sports; No. 141 prospect nationally, the No. 27 wide receiver and the No. 2 player in Illinois ... Ranked 108th in the ESPN300; listed as the No. 16 wide receiver nationally, the fifth-best player in the region and the top player in the state of Illinois ... Rivals.com four-star prospect, the 86th-best prospect in the country, the 14th-overall receiver and the No. 2 prospect in Illinois ... PrepStar Magazine Top 150 Dream Team member; listed as the top prospect in Illinois, the 21st-ranked receiver nationally and the 96th-overall player in the country ... 2019 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year ... 2019 Southwest Suburban Conference Player of the Year ... 2019 The Southtown Player of the Year, The Daily Herald Player of the Year and the WJOL Radio/Edgytim Player of the Year ... All-State selection in 2019 ... Attended NIKE’s The Opening regional camp in 2019 ... Selected to participate in the All-American Game ... Totaled 29 touchdowns in 2019, including one via punt return, and scored a two-point conversion ... As a senior, caught 52 passes for 835 yards with 13 touchdowns, adding 648 yards on the ground on 121 carries with another 15 scores ... In 2018, rushed 29 times for 204 yards and caught 12 passes for 271 yards while he battled injuries ... Also competed in track and field, where he finished fourth in the Class 3A 100-meter dash (10.73) as a junior

Football - Western Illinois at Northwestern Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, September 06
Football - 'Cats Roll Western Illinois, 42-7 in Home Opener (9/5/25)
Saturday, September 06
Football - Week 2 Monday Press Conference (9/1/25)
Monday, September 01
Football - Northwestern at Tulane Postgame Press Conference (8/30/25)
Saturday, August 30