South Carolina offers fast-rising DMV defender, teammate of Gamecock commit

Recently, four-star South Carolina football safety commitment Jernard Albright announced his transfer to St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. Then, on Wednesday, one of Albright’s new teammates picked up a Gamecock scholarship offer.

Class of 2028 Laurel (MD) St. Frances standout Dustin Henry revealed his offer on social media. The 6-4, 205-pound hybrid player has seen his recruitment take another step lately, as he has added five new power conference honors since the start of the new year.

In addition to South Carolina’s interest, Henry has earned offers from Maryland, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, Texas A&M, LSU, Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and Florida.

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Henry plays both linebacker and defensive back at St. Frances, and his physical tools make him stand out on film. Nicknamed “Boosh,” Henry is an aggressive, downhill player. When closer to the line of scrimmage, he flies upfield to meet ballcarriers in the backfield. When in coverage (especially at safety), he has a knack for separating would-be receivers from the football. Henry lines up as an off-the-edge pass rusher in certain situations, too, and he has plenty of juice getting after quarterbacks.

With his current size, Henry looks more like a linebacker, but South Carolina defensive backs coach Torrian Gray has seen great success playing physically imposing safeties and nickels. He could outgrow the secondary, and his experience playing all over the defense has muddied his positional future. At the time of this writing, it is unclear which position has the Gamecocks’ attention for Henry’s future.

Henry does not yet hold an official ranking from Rivals. However, with his impressive offer list, that will change soon. He was previously part of the class of 2029, likely playing a part in his current state of rankinglessness.

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