VFL John Henderson Set For NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute Saturday

IRVING, Texas – Tennessee and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced that they will jointly honor 2025 College Football Hall of Fame electee John Henderson with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The Salute will take place at halftime this Saturday during the Vols' SEC opener against Georgia, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

"John Henderson dominated in the trenches for Tennessee, using his size and relentless motor to terrorize offenses, capture the Outland Trophy, and lead the Volunteers to national success during his storied career," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are thrilled to honor him at Neyland Stadium as a member of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class."

The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.

During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.

A two-time consensus First Team All-American (2000, 2001), Henderson claimed the 2000 Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in the nation while finishing as a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy as the nation's best defensive player the same year. A two-time First Team All-SEC pick (2000-01), Henderson was also named a finalist for the Outland Trophy again in 2001. Click here for his full Hall of Fame bio.

The Nashville, Tennessee, product now becomes the 23^rd Vol player inducted into the Hall, joining Nathan Dougherty (1906-1909), Bobby Dodd (1928-1930), Gene McEver (1928-1929, 1931), Herman Hickman (1929-1931), Beattie Feathers (1931-1933), Bowden Wyatt (1936-1938), George Cafego (1937-1939), Ed Molinski (1938-1940), Bob Suffridge (1938-1940), Hank Lauricella (1949-1951), Doug Atkins (1950-1952), John Michels (1950-1952), Johnny Majors (1954-1956), Steve DeLong (1962-1964), Frank Emanuel (1963-1965), Bob Johnson (1965-1967), Steve Kiner (1967-1969), Chip Kell (1968-1970), Reggie White (1980-1983), Peyton Manning (1994-97), Al Wilson (1995-98), and Eric Berry (2007-09).

Hall of Fame coaches who headed the Tennessee program include Doug Dickey, Phillip Fulmer, Bob Neyland, and Bowden Wyatt.

The 2025 class includes Montee Ball (Wisconsin), Gregg Carr (Auburn), Blake Elliott (Saint John's [MN]), Greg Eslinger (Minnesota), Terry Hanratty (Notre Dame), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), John Henderson (Tennessee), Michael Huff (Texas), Jim Kleinsasser (North Dakota), Alex Mack (California), Terrence Metcalf (Mississippi), Haloti Ngata (Oregon), Steve Slaton (West Virginia), Darrin Smith (Miami, FL), Michael Strahan (Texas Southern), Dennis Thurman (Southern California), Michael Vick (Virginia Tech), Ryan Yarborough (Wyoming), and coaches Larry Blakeney (Troy), Larry Korver (Northwestern College [IA]), Urban Meyer (Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State), Nick Saban (Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama).

The 2025 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Please click here to purchase tickets.

Including the 2025 NFF Hall of Fame Class, only 1,111 players and 237 coaches have been inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.86 million who have played or coached the game during the past 157 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (0.02%) of the individuals who have played/coached the game have earned this distinction.

University of Tennessee Athletics

VFL John Henderson Set For NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute Saturday

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