Chris Murray

RGJ

Former Wolf Pack football coach Chris Ault always had a backup plan for Colin Kaepernick.

If Kaepernick didn't pan out at quarterback — and Ault had serious doubts — Ault was going to move him to safety or receiver. While Kaepernick never had to be moved — he turned out to be an OK quarterback — Wolf Pack fans are currently seeing what would have happened if Kaepernick had to be moved.

Hasaan Henderson, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound thoroughbred in the mold of Kaepernick, moved from quarterback to receiver last spring. And after a solid freshman season at his new position — he caught 29 passes for 325 yards and one touchdown — the 20-year-old Henderson is on the verge of breaking out.

Of all the players on Nevada's spring camp roster, Henderson has the highest future NFL ceiling.

"He's such a massive man with good athleticism and some of the best ball skills on the team," Wolf Pack offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich said. "He tracks the ball real well. He's open when he's not open. When other guys are covered man-to-man, they're not as open as he is. He's 6-5, 235 pounds, he's really physical, he's fast enough and he bodies people up like he's rebounding. He's a pretty good package."

And that package wouldn't be at receiver if not for an injury he suffered while playing at Las Vegas High. Henderson tore his labrum in high school and reinjured it as a true freshman at Nevada in 2012. He never told his Wolf Pack coaches about the injury, but Rolovich noticed Henderson would try and inch closer to the line of scrimmage on rollout throws, an indicator that his shoulder was in major pain.

When coach Brian Polian noticed Henderson's top-notch ball skills — he'd snare bad snaps out of the air with one hand when working with the backup centers — the coaches decided to try a position switch.

"He said tight end," Henderson said of his conversation with Rolovich. "I told him, 'I'd like to be out wide.' We tried receiver and that night he texted me and said, 'We're going to keep you there.'"

In his first college game, Henderson, who never played receiver in youth ball, caught three passes for 37 yards at UCLA, on one occasion going high above the Bruins' 5-8 defensive back Ishmael Adams for a catch. Learning on the job early in the year, Henderson closed his freshman campaign out strong. Over Nevada's final four games, he caught 23 passes for 251 yards and scored his first college touchdown.

The Wolf Pack's decision to move Henderson has already paid off, with future dividends sure to pile up.

"He's too big and too athletic and too skilled to be standing next to anybody on the sideline," Polian said. "We made the move, he embraced it and he's been incredibly productive since then."

When Henderson huddles with the rest of the Wolf Pack receivers, he almost seems out of place.

His 6-5 frame looms over the 5-11 Richy Turner and Jerico Richardson, the 5-10 D'Andre Fuller, Sike Azu-Irondi and Jimbo Davis and the 5-9 Giles Chapman. With Nevada lacking height at receiver, Henderson bring a special component to the Wolf Pack pass-catchers. Cornerback Evan Favors, who is a shade under 5-11, said Henderson is nearly impossible to stop when paired with quarterback Cody Fajardo.

"He's good at playing the ball at the top," Favors said. "Against shorter corners, he should be deadly this year. With him, your technique has to be right and you have to be physical because he's going to be physical. He's strong. He made a lot of plays last year and he's going to make even more this year."

Henderson's potential is immense, but he's still raw. He needs to get quicker and faster and become a better route runner. Most of his receptions in 2013 came off back-shoulder throws or jump balls. As receivers coach Jim Hofher puts it, Henderson need to develop into "more than a one-trick pony."

The sophomore-to-be has time to develop. Despite battling injuries, Henderson has been Nevada's best skill-position player in spring camp. And while he misses playing quarterback, Henderson saw the value a receiver could have on a team last season when he watched Brandon Wimberly.

"All third-down situations, all 2-minute drills, you could see the trust Cody had in Wim," Henderson said. "You could run as fast as you want and be as open as you want, but that ball was going to Wimberly."

With Wimberly and fellow starter Aaron Bradley departed, Nevada is looking for its next go-to receiver. Turner is the best bet this year, but Henderson has earned Fajardo's trust and will be counted on to play make big plays on big downs this season. He's already come a long way, and not just on the field.

Growing up in a less-than-ideal situation in Las Vegas, Henderson didn't have much of a foundation when he got to Nevada. During his true freshman season, Ault made Henderson focus solely on academics and not attend practice late in the year to make sure he'd remain academically eligible.

Introverted and humble by all accounts, Henderson has been slow to open up to his Nevada coaches. But that trust, like his trust with Fajardo, is building by the day. Henderson could have easily washed out at Nevada as an academic casualty, using his rough childhood as a crutch. But he hasn't. A lifelong quarterback, Henderson has a new position and a new outlook at Nevada, but the same drive remains.

"He has a dream," Rolovich said. "This is what he wants to do. He wants to be the best he can be. He's driven. Whatever his situation was back home, he's fought through it and he's surviving. He's surviving. He's getting more comfortable every semester in college and on the field, and he's going to excel here."

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.

THE FILE ON HASAAN HENDERSON

Class: Sophomore

Position: Wide Receiver

Height/Weight: 6-5/235

Hometown: Las Vegas

High School: Las Vegas High

Stats: 2013: 12 games, 29 catches, 325 yards, one touchdown