‘I’m not a one-dimensional player’: Linebacker Daiyan Henley brings versatility, star potential to Washington State’s defense

PULLMAN – Daiyan Henley “went through the blender” in his football career, switching positions over and over until he emerged from the mix as a complete product at linebacker.

“You see the athlete,” Washington State coach Jake Dickert said after Saturday’s scrimmage of his newest defensive standout. “It’s amazing throughout history how many times guys don’t play a certain position their whole life, and they end up starring at that position. Daiyan’s going to be one of those guys.”

Between his prep days in South Los Angeles and four seasons at Nevada, Henley has lined up at quarterback, edge rusher, wide receiver, safety, nickel and kick returner.

The sixth-year collegian was shifted to his current position in 2020, when he was a junior with the Wolf Pack.

With all those layers of multifaceted experience rolled into one, Henley has developed into an exemplary linebacker, a potential Pac-12 star entering his first and only season at WSU.

“I’ve always considered myself a great athlete,” he said . “Growing and playing so many positions, I’m versatile. I pride myself on being able to do a lot. I’m not a one-dimensional player.”

At spring camp, Henley is checking every box for WSU’s defense. He made a seamless transition to a new team, distinguishing himself quickly as a leader and one of the Cougars’ most skilled defenders.

The ideal linebacker qualities are there – the build (6-foot-1, 228 pounds) coupled with impressive agility. Henley is probably more well-rounded in his football knowledge and range of physical tools than the majority of his peers.

“It’s respect to each position I’ve played,” he said. “As a receiver, you’re learning where to sit in zones and you’re learning from different points on the field. Becoming a (DB), I had to learn coverages and where to be on the field. Coming to linebacker, I’m in the box now and reading guard pulls, tackle pulls. All of these things I’ve learned are different aspects of the game. I put those things together to know the game better.”

His background as a skill player and defensive back shows up on passing downs. He zips in front of intermediate throws for picks and deflections.

“I’ve been known to be great in coverage,” said Henley, who led all linebackers in the FBS last year with four interceptions – including a 50-yard return for touchdown – at Nevada.

In the ground game, he’s expecting to be a bruiser for the Cougars. Henley has the speed to track down ball-carriers and can accelerate in a flash through gaps up front.

“Explosion, power and intensity – I’d say those words describe how I’m coming this year,” he said when asked about his hitting abilities. “Not only me, but I’ve seen it from my teammates. That’s how we’re all coming.”

Henley filled a need for WSU when he joined the program, picking the Cougars over multiple other power conference suitors.

He’s taking over for Jahad Woods, a Cougar mainstay at outside linebacker who started a program-record 56 games across the past five seasons.

Replacing Woods is no small task, but the Cougars have restocked with another veteran presence in Henley, who has appeared in 49 Division I games since 2017, including 21 starts as an outside linebacker over the past two years at Nevada in defensive coordinator Brian Ward’s system.

Not long before Henley signed with WSU, the Cougars hired Ward as their new DC/linebackers coach.

“We all know it’s a major support system having him here,” Henley said. “He’s like my backbone. He was my first linebackers coach. He taught me linebacker footwork, how to read the box. Knowing I’d have him again as my coach was a big influence for why I chose to come to Pullman, for sure.”

When Ward arrived in Reno ahead of the 2020 season, Henley was listed as a 6-1, 215-pound nickel on Nevada’s roster.

“At that point, they were like, ‘You can run with slots, chase down running backs, but you’re really big to be a nickel. How about you take it a step further and play linebacker?’ ” Henley recalled of his final position change.

In his first season as a linebacker, Henley finished third among Wolf Pack defenders with 49 tackles. As a senior in 2021, he made plays all around the field, piling up a team-high 103 tackles along with six sacks and three fumble recoveries.

“My first season at linebacker, it was like a culture shock,” he said. “When you’re not used to something, it just hits you. In my second season, everything slowed down. Third season, I can only expect it to be even slower.”

Described by Ward as a “self-motivated” player who “walks humbly” and has earned the respect of his teammates for “putting in work when no one’s watching,” Henley is focused on brushing up his knowledge of the intricacies at linebacker, so he can become “versatile not only in my athletic abilities, but what I know.”

Cougars coaches have been impressed by his dedication to the mental side of the game.

“What people don’t see and what I get to see is behind the scenes how hard he works,” said Dickert, formerly the Cougars’ DC and LBs coach. “He’s in the film room, he’s asking questions. When we recruited him, obviously coach Ward had a relationship, but I was like, ‘Daiyan, now you have two linebackers coaches.’ He asks me questions, we sit down. He sits down with coach Ward. He’s in our facility nonstop. There’s an inner drive that Daiyan has that I believe is going to allow him to play in the NFL for a long time.”

To reach this point, Henley rode out a whirlwind. Recruited as an “athlete” – an offensive utility player – out of Crenshaw High, Henley accepted a full-ride scholarship from Nevada over walk-on offers from hometown schools USC and UCLA.

Checking in at 185 pounds, Henley earned a spot in the Wolf Pack’s receiving rotation and caught three touchdowns as a true freshman. He doubled as a specialist, averaging 23 yards on 19 kick returns.

His responsibilities broadened as a sophomore. Henley played some receiver, took reps at “spur” – a nickel-type position – and returned five kicks.

“They saw that I could gain and hold weight and eventually we talked about defense, because it was undoubted that I was the most physical receiver when it came to screens and blocking,” Henley said. “They were like, ‘How about you stop taking the hits and go deliver them?’ ”

He has retained the qualities of a skill player.

“Once you switch positions, it doesn’t go anywhere – the speed and athleticism is all there,” he said.

Before the 2019 season, Henley shifted to the secondary full time, but had his year cut to four games because of an injury. By the time he recovered, Ward had accepted the DC job at Nevada and would soon move Henley into the defensive box.

“I went through a lot,” Henley said. “I had to struggle to get where I’m at now.”

From youth football through his high school career, Henley played QB primarily. He did well there, but “became more than a quarterback” in his senior year.

Roster turnover had left the Crenshaw Cougars short-handed at several spots.

“You think I played a lot of positions now?” Henley said. “We didn’t have many people coming in and we had people leaving. We had about 11 solid athletes. Usually, the guys who end up getting offers, they’re the best athletes on the team. I was, so I moved everywhere. I was up for the challenge.”

He filled in at safety, saw some action as a defensive end and played receiver for a couple of games. He was Crenshaw’s place-kicker, too.

“That senior year shaped my future,” Henley said. “(College recruiters) were like, ‘This guy was a quarterback, but he’s doing everything and good at it.’ That ultimately got me an offer as an athlete.”

Six years later, he’d grown into a total package at linebacker, and attracted widespread Power Five interest upon entering his name into the transfer portal in December.

He narrowed his options down to WSU, USC, Washington and Kansas State.

How did the Cougars manage to land the one-and-done impact player? The coaching connection with Ward and familiarity with the system certainly factored in, but Henley said it wasn’t the “be-all” behind his decision.

He relishes the opportunity to perform on a bright stage for a major conference program with a devoted fanbase.

“I want to show that a lot of people underestimated me from the beginning,” he said. “That’s one of my impact statements: I was overlooked and I feel like I’m as good, if not better, than a lot of guys at this level,” he said. “I’m here to prove that.”

Like many WSU recruits before him, Henley highlighted the tight-knit nature of the university community, program and town. He enjoys the relaxed pace of life in Pullman.

“It’s a lot different than L.A. and Reno,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what it’s all about. It’s a new experience.

“Life is about expanding and being able to learn, and I feel like I’ll learn a lot being here.”

No new positions, though.

Versatility runs in the family

Daiyan isn’t the only multiskilled member of the Henley family.

His father, Eugene Henley, has also worn several hats.

“He does a little bit of everything,” Daiyan Henley said. “He does community work, runs a nonprofit organization. The mayor of L.A. wants him to help reduce crime in the area. And that’s just the community stuff.

“Then, you have the more public things about him. He’s in the music industry. He’s a music manager. He just got into film and he’s a TV producer. He has a podcast with a variety of different guests. He just had (ESPN’s) Stephen A. Smith on. He’s a man of many talents.”

Eugene Henley, nicknamed “Big U” because of his 6-5 stature, is a renowned entertainment and philanthropic figure in L.A. He’s worked with best-selling artists such as Snoop Dogg and the late Nipsey Hussle. He helped produce and was featured in the recently released FX docuseries “Hip Hop Uncovered,” and hosts a popular podcast called “Checc’n In w/BIG U.”

In 2004, Eugene Henley founded the “Developing Options” nonprofit, which is focused on providing local youth with “choices beyond the gang violence, drug and crime through: advocacy, education, resources, training and development and sports,” according to the organization’s website. Daiyan Henley’s mother, Stacey, works with Developing Options.

“I didn’t have to live the hard life, as far as what you can expect in Crenshaw, what’s shown to the public – the gritty, grime, gangs and the graphic stuff,” Daiyan Henley said. “I’ve seen both sides, but I was able to stay young and live the right way, and I appreciate sports because of that. I never fell into that trap, and that’s because of my parents.”