Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley named AP midseason All-American

PULLMAN – According to the Associated Press, Daiyan Henley is one of the nation’s three best linebackers at the midway point of the season.

Henley, a senior outside linebacker at Washington State, was named to the AP’s midseason All-America team on Tuesday. Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr. and Arkansas’ Drew Sanders were the only other LBs to land on the team, which included five players from the Pac-12.

The most productive defender for WSU (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12), Henley enters the bye week leading his team with 68 tackles – good for second in the conference and 10th nationally. He ranks fourth in the FBS and second in the Pac-12 with 11 tackles for loss. Henley has added four sacks and an interception. The Los Angeles native owns the best pass-rushing grade and tackling grade among Pac-12 linebackers, per Pro Football Focus’ performance metrics.

In his first and only season at WSU, the Nevada transfer is a watch list player for several national honors, including the Bednarik Award (best defensive player) and the Butkus Award (best linebacker).

Henley is WSU’s first midseason All-American since kicker Blake Mazza earned second-team honors from The Athletic in 2019. Edge rusher Hercules Mata’afa was named a midseason All-American by the AP, ESPN, CBS and Athlon in 2017.