Ashton Henderson: Growth and Opportunity In College Athletics

Ashton Henderson, a four-year letterwinner for Spartan football (2006-09), was promoted to Deputy Athletic Director/Championship Resources & Culture in February 2023. He returned to his alma mater as Executive Associate Athletics Director for Championship Resources in February 2022.

Henderson oversees the following units in Spartan Athletics: Student-Athlete Development, Nutrition, Athletic Training, Varsity S, Athletic Performance, NIL, Wellness/Performance, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Under his leadership, Michigan State's "EverGreen" NIL program was awarded the Best Institutional Program in the nation at the 2023 NIL Summit in Atlanta.

Henderson's primary focus is on student-facing areas associated with health, mental and physical wellness, and student-athlete engagement. He also works closely with various campus partners in those areas to collaboratively create opportunities and build connections to further enhance the development of student-athletes that extends beyond their time at MSU. In addition, he works with assigned sports in a sport supervisor role.

As a student-athlete on the football team, Henderson saw action as both a defensive back and on special teams. In his freshman season (2006), he returned a blocked punt 33 yards for a touchdown vs. Northwestern to help fuel the greatest comeback in NCAA Division I-A history as the Spartans rallied from a 35-point deficit for a 41-38 victory.

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It’s a very unique time for intercollegiate athletics and the broader ecosystem. We are really seeing and learning of the opportunities to present things the right way: opportunities for growth and expansion for student-athletes. Being a former student-athlete myself, I am a big proponent of all the opportunities for growth.?

I wouldn’t necessarily characterize the current landscape as a mess. I’d just say that there are a lot of unknowns. Hopefully, eventually, these unknowns will become knowns so we can chart the future of where we are going. Which to me is very exciting. Change is inevitable and I personally thrive in these environments where you can problem-solve and strategically think about how we are going to improve the student-athlete experience.

I believe the changing dynamics in college sports is an evolution. Even when I was a student-athlete evolutions were occurring - with Northwestern student-athletes trying to gain the ability to unionize. It got some folks interested, but never really crossed the finish line. There are so many different moments in history where evolutions, some successful, and some not, take place.?

Despite the infusion of NIL money, I don’t really think the term “student-athlete” changes. Ultimately, as a student-athlete, you have the same opportunities, rights, and privileges. I do think it’s important to mention that the growth in women’s sports has also helped to bridge the gap when it comes to the NIL money.?

I think when we take into consideration the growing amount of data, the current environment will definitely change. I think everyone can agree that when NIL was created it was not intended for students to transfer every year and money to become the driving motivator. With the development and implementation of more disclosure regulations, along with greater lobbying efforts in Congress, regulations will certainly increase.?

I think that for so long, us athletes weren’t able to leverage our name, image, and likeness. There are a lot of ways where the student-athlete has been hindered in some way throughout history. As a result, I feel like now is their chance to catch up; it’s reparations in a sense.?

I do see how it goes both ways, though - especially being on the administrative side now. Student-athletes receive a lot of benefits and so the institutional strain will definitely come with people working more hours to ensure the students have a positive experience.?

Is there a mistake being made by commentators on the issue in that they aren’t taking into consideration that each student-athlete has his or her own set of circumstances? I think it’s really important to acknowledge that every student has their own story and circumstances. First, young people make decisions differently than adults. Second, in an ecosystem as diverse as collegiate athletics, individuals are going to have such diverse backgrounds and stories and make decisions for a whole host of different reasons.?

To me, it’s important we continue to work to help athletes become the best versions of themselves by giving them the clinicians, coaches, and nutrition they need.?