What went into Henry Ruggs III’s NFL decision, and why he nearly came back to Alabama

Something seemed to be weighing heavily on Henry Ruggs III’s mind.

And it wasn’t just the concussion that knocked Alabama’s speedy junior receiver out of the Citrus Bowl midway through the third quarter of the 35-16 win over Michigan on New Year’s Day.

Upon returning to the Camping World Stadium stands after checking on her concussed son in the Crimson Tide locker room, Nataki Ruggs expressed concern to her youngest: “Something’s wrong with Henry, he’s not (acting) the same right now.”

But Kevontae’ Ruggs, just 14 months Henry’s junior, knew the look of internal turmoil that filled his older brother’s head on the Alabama bench.

“I could just see his mood change. When he was sitting on the sideline (with his teammates), he’d smile and everything, but I could see every now and then that it seemed like he’d be in deep thought,” Kevontae’ recalled. “… It was like he was thinking about something real heavy right now, and (my mom) didn’t know what it was, but I told her, ‘I know what’s on his mind, it’s the draft.’”

It’s been a week since Henry Ruggs III announced his intention to enter the 2020 NFL Draft, joining six other Crimson Tide underclassmen in opting to leave school early for the NFL, a move that followed hours after junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his own declaration during a press conference earlier last Monday morning.

But while Tagovailoa remains in Tuscaloosa to rehab from his horrific season-ending hip injury suffered in mid-November, a clear-headed Henry is already several days into his pre-draft workout regime at the Applied Science and Performance Institute (ASPI) in Tampa, Florida.

“I feel good,” Henry told the Montgomery Advertiser by phone this weekend. “Whatever decision you make you can’t look back on it. So I’m just ready for everything that comes with the (pre-draft) process and just getting ready for the Combine and the (NFL) Draft.”

Still, he didn’t come to that decision lightly.

In fact, it was arguably the most difficult decision of his 20 years, one complicated by Henry’s steadfast desire to support his family in any way possible.

“It was a long process, it was a pretty difficult process at the time too because I was not trying to weight in too much on it while I was still in-season,” Henry said. “Of course, I was (discussing) it with my parents and family, my brothers. But ultimately the deciding factor was my younger brother (Kevontae’) telling me that he would be straight and that I should just take advantage of the opportunity.”

Doing anything and everything to provide for his family made Henry’s NFL decision particularly complex, especially once the Alabama coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to Kevontae’ — the 6-foot-4 former Ole Miss linebacker who is in the process of resurrecting his own football career at East Mississippi Community College — to join the Crimson Tide as part of its 2020 recruiting class.

“His biggest thing wasn’t even him at the moment, his biggest thing was trying to find a way for me,” Kevontae’ said of Henry. “He was leaning more towards staying because he was trying to stay and play another year with me to make sure I was straight and getting my career back on (track) where it needs to be.”

As the youngest of five Ruggs siblings, Henry and Kevontae’ grew up thick as thieves and had long discussed the idea of playing together college in much the same way they did for the Montgomery City Chiefs recreation football team as children. And, as one would, that conversation often fed into another: the dream of entering the NFL together in the same year.

It was because of that desire that Henry heavily leaned toward returning to Alabama for his senior season in the weeks leading up to the Citrus Bowl: “I was definitely considering it.”

“It was definitely weighing on me. That was one of my biggest things in life is making sure my brothers are good and that they have opportunities for themselves,” he said. “And of course, if we could’ve had an opportunity to play together (at Alabama) or he had an opportunity to be somewhere where he can make a name for himself, and we actually were able to move at the same time, and go through the process together, that would’ve been great.

“But (after the bowl game), I sat down and had a heart-to-heart conversation with (Kevontae’) and he eventually told me he would make his own path.”

Prior to that, there had been multiple discussions between the Alabama staff — specifically outside linebackers coach Sal Sunseri and head coach Nick Saban — and the Ruggs family regarding a chance for Kevontae’ to join the Tide after graduating from East Mississippi Community College in May.

“They were offering me an opportunity to come (there) and work my way up from special teams,” Kevontae’ said.

Added Nataki: “They were considering that (offer) to bring Henry back.”

But now that Henry has taken himself out of the equation, both sides have moved on.

“At this point I don’t think that is something (Kevontae’s) going to pursue,” Nataki said. “Because the goal and the dream was for him and his brother to play together. He’s still open for whatever is out there on the table for him, but he’s going to work hard and pursue those avenues for himself so his brother can go ahead and do what’s necessary for him and the family.”

And it was Henry’s concussion in the Citrus Bowl that reignited that conversation in the Alabama team hotel down in Orlando.

“It was an eye-opener for the both of us,” Nataki said of Henry’s concussion scare.

Added Kevontae’: “I told him … that (concussion) is a wake-up call, a sign from God. It’s God telling him that it’s that time. There are big opportunities (ahead) for him, and I told him he could probably help me out more just by showing me that it’s actually possible.”

Later that night by text, Kevontae doubled down on his desire that Henry turn pro.

“This is the chance of a lifetime big bro! I promise you I’m going to be right behind you!! I appreciate everything! Nobody ever looked out for me the way you do big bro. This is a chance that is rarely given to the people where we come from. We literally come from nothing,” Kevontae’s text read. “I look up to you more than you could ever imagine. I have made some decisions that I have to man up and take care of. I appreciate all the help, but it’s time for YOU to live the lifestyle YOU deserve. You made this happen bro. I don’t need a role model because you inspire me more than anybody else on this Earth. Go live our dream for us until God gives me the chance. … Thanks for showing me that dreams really do come true! It is because of you that I now know and believe that anything is possible!!!”

For Henry, that was all he needed to make up his mind.

Now, with that decision behind him, Henry is focused solely on fine-tuning his technique while working out at ASPI in Tampa, where he gets one-on-one instruction from some of the best to ever play his position, including Hall of Fame receiver and 14-year NFL veteran Randy Moss.

“Basically we wanted to make sure that Henry got some good work from guys that’s done it at a high level (in Moss), who quite frankly was a speed guy as well … but he also understood how to run routes and be very efficient,” Ruggs’ agent, Jovan Barnes, said. “If Henry can master (the technical side of being a receiver) even a little bit like Randy, the sky’s the limit for him, and that’s why we wanted to make that connection. It played a major part in where we decided to train.”

Henry reportedly received a second-round grade from the NFL’s College Advisory Committee last month but has been consistently projected as a mid-first round pick according to several reputable NFL Draft experts that anticipate he’ll have a standout showing at the NFL Combine next month in Indianapolis. CBSSports.com ranks Henry as the 13th-overall player and third-best receiver in this year’s draft class.

“It’s exciting,” Henry said, “just to be around different people and learn about the game in different ways, and to learn from somebody that actually did it at a high level, that’s even more of a blessing because you can get the best training.”

Of course, elite speed has always been a significant part of Henry’s on-field repertoire, with the 6-foot, 190-pound former track star at Montgomery’s Robert E. Lee High setting the Class 7A state record in the 100-meter dash with a 10.58-second time at the 2017 state meet. Over his three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Henry was routinely timed eclipsing 22-23 miles per hour as measured by Alabama’s Catapult system, including topping out at a program-record 24.3 mph on his 81-yard catch-and-run touchdown at South Carolina last September.

“The goal is to just be the best,” Henry said. “Of course, speed is one of my biggest abilities, so I want to be the fastest one (at the Combine).”

That would mean breaking former Washington and current Cincinnati Bengals receiver John Ross III’s 4.22-second record in the 40-yard dash set in 2018. Henry was reportedly timed running a 4.25-second 40 during Alabama’s annual Junior Day workout last March and believes he can be even faster with a little refined technique and a better start.

Whether that happens next month at the Combine is yet to be seen, but what’s clear is how focused Henry Ruggs III is to doing whatever it takes to achieve his own NFL dreams, especially given what it could mean for his entire family — his little brother included.

“It’s like I told him: this is just a chance for him to open the world’s eyes and see who he really is,” Kevontae’ said.

Alex Byington is the Montgomery Advertiser's Alabama beat reporter. He can be reached by email at abyington@montgome.gannett.com or on Twitter at @_AlexByington.