The switch is still a little bizarre for Rex Henderson.

As a quarterback who rewrote the record books at Butler County High School, Henderson never thought he’d see playing time at Western Kentucky as – of all positions – a linebacker.

Even in Morgantown when he played defense, Henderson played safety in either cover 2 or cover 3. This spring, he’s dedicating his craft specifically to linebacker and continued special teams play with the Hilltoppers.

“It was crazy because honestly, when I switched over to linebacker I never thought I was going to see the field,” Henderson told the Daily News. “Special teams is a blessing, really. That was the only way I could get on the field. It was awesome getting to go to the games and be on the field and make a couple of plays that I did.”

Henderson joined Western Kentucky as a walk-on and redshirted in 2017 before making contributions on special teams last season. He came to WKU as a quarterback, then switched to linebacker last spring when depth issues arose at the position.

He started mainly on the kickoff return and punt team. The highlight of his season came against Ball State on Sept. 22 when he ran a fake punt 11 yards for a first down. He added three tackles on special teams to complete his redshirt freshman resume.

While Henderson wants to make his mark at linebacker, he’s also hoping for continued opportunities at special teams under new coordinator Andy LaRussa. He’s also thankful for the patience linebackers coach Maurice Crum has given him learning a different position.

“We’re kind of new in special teams and stuff,” Henderson said. “We don’t have a depth chart right now, but I’m getting reps (special teams). Hopefully during the season, I can play again.

“I’m still trying to get on the field (at linebacker) because last year I got on the field with special teams, so really I’m working every day to find one thing to work on and get better and just keep improving.”

Henderson’s versatility may earn him that playing time he desires. He walked on with the Hilltoppers having racked up 10,288 yards from scrimmage and 138 touchdowns and weighed 205 pounds. Adding weight was easy at first, he said, but spring conditioning has been challenging for him to keep up that weight. Henderson, currently around 220 pounds, wants to add another 10 for the linebacker spot.

That adjustment, plus learning defensive structures and movements in Clayton White’s 4-2-5 defense, is the biggest hurdle the former Butler County star has had to make.

“In high school … I’ve never even played linebacker,” Henderson said. “At quarterback you’re just dropping back different steps and at linebacker you have to get down in a stance and all this other stuff. The biggest adjustment is learning the defense and just learning my footwork.”

Henderson has a crowded linebacker room to work through to earn that playing time. Eli Brown entered spring practice as the only linebacker returning from last season, but he’s out indefinitely with a foot injury. FCS transfers and redshirt juniors Clay Davis and Damon Lowe are expected to step in with significant roles. Junior Kyle Bailey is moving to linebacker after playing safety last year.

That group is rounded out by Henderson and redshirt freshmen Trey Urquhart and Mario Wright.

Henderson wants to learn every position to prepare himself for whatever may come this fall.

“What I really want to do is learn both middle and outside linebacker right now,” Henderson said. “Just playing both gives me a better chance to be on the field. I just want to prove to these coaches that I can play and that’s the biggest thing I want to do.”{&end}