It turns out Malik Henry may be back at Independence for the 2018 season, which would mean he would also appear on Last Chance U Season 4. After Indy coach Jason Brown said earlier this week that Henry was unlikely to rejoin the team, there are rumors that Henry may be returning. Twitter user @LastChanceUAlum tipped off Heavy to the fact that Henry is listed on the Independence roster via the NJCAA website. This is true, the Indy roster on the NJCAA site does list Henry.
According to the NJCAA website, Malik Henry is listed on the roster for Independence cc
Independence has yet to post their 2018 roster on their own site, so this is the first time fans have been able to get an official look at who is back with the team. While he may be listed on the roster, we also know that Henry has not traveled with the team for tonight’s opening game. Independence radio play-by-play analyst Jeff Carpenter reported Henry is not with the team in Dodge City.
“Malik is listed on the roster. I have not seen Malik yet, not is he on the road trip to Dodge City. That’s what’s going on at this point. If he’s on the roster obviously he’s expected to be in the team. Things will unfold as the process is set to work out,” Carpenter tweeted.
Carpenter is a bit vague in his description, but does allude to the fact that Henry is expected to re-join the team. This would be a departure from Brown’s earlier comments saying a return was unlikely.
“He is trying to come back, but I don’t think I can make that work,” Brown told Last Chance U Alum earlier this week.
A Return to Independence Likely Means Henry Did Not Get Another Major Offer
Henry broke his silence a few weeks ago by appearing on FS1 with Jason Whitlock. During the interview, Henry said he expected to play football this season, and was being recruited by a “couple teams.” Henry declined to get into the specifics of who the teams were that were recruiting him. If Henry does end up returning to Independence, it looks like those offers did not materialize.
Another layer to this story is that Henry has been critical of how he was portrayed in Last Chance U. The show already announced they are returning to Independence for Season 4. If Henry wants to play for Indy again, he will have to come to terms with his life being filmed by cameras once again.
“They kind of failed to show the other side of me and Coach Brown’s relationship,” Henry told Variety. “But TV is TV and they have to sell…I think Greg Whiteley, the director, did a great job. I just wish we they would have shown the other side of me and Coach Brown’s relationship just a little more, because I feel like more people would have realized that he is more like an older brother, father figure type.”
If Henry does return to Independence, Last Chance U also offers him an opportunity to show that he has matured. This could help Henry as he looks to play for a bigger program for 2019.