Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
9/163rd/4th & short
9 of 16 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (56.2%).
Al-Jay Henderson
Al-Jay Henderson is a running back who has not played this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025, at Buffalo.
Henderson does a little of everything without one standout trait. Played for two head coaches at Buffalo: Maurice Linguist and Pete Lembo. The first one came in 2024: All-MAC. On tape: 119 rushing yards and 7 receiving yards against Bowling Green, Week 10, 2025.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-23@ Minnesota | 11 | 25 | 2.3 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 2 | W 45-6vs Saint Francis | 24 | 98 | 4.1 | 2 | 10 | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-28@ Kent State | 15 | 75 | 5.0 | 1 | 38 | |
| Wk 4 | L 17-21vs Troy | 22 | 76 | 3.5 | 1 | 22 | |
| Wk 5 | L 17-20vs UConn | 24 | 63 | 2.6 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 6 | W 31-30vs Eastern Michigan | 16 | 81 | 5.1 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 8 | W 28-21@ Massachusetts | 20 | 59 | 3.0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 9 | L 16-24vs Akron | 11 | 67 | 6.1 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 10 | W 28-3@ Bowling Green | 18 | 119 | 6.6 | 1 | 41 | Season-high 119 yds |
| Wk 12 | L 19-38@ Central Michigan | 9 | 39 | 4.3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 13 | L 20-37vs Miami (OH) | 7 | 22 | 3.1 | 0 | 12 | |
| Wk 14 | L 26-31vs Ohio | 5 | 31 | 6.2 | 1 | 23 | |
| Total | 182 | 755 | 4.1 | 6 | 41 |
Signature game
Week 2 · 2025
W 45-6
98 rush yds (24 car) · 2 TD · 2 rec · 42 yds
Dominant 39-point win at home against Saint Francis.
With T. Roberson — 133 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 73.0 · 88 rush yds (9 car) · 2 TD · V. Snow — 3 rec · 67 yds · 1 TD
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Saint Francis · 4th and 2 · Q2 · EPA −3.79Al-Jay Henderson run for a loss of 1 yard to the SFPA 16
- Week 10 · Bowling Green · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +3.24A.Henderson rush middle for 41 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 14 · Ohio · 3rd and 4 · Q3 · EPA +3.14A.Henderson rush right for 23 yards gain for a touchdown T.Roberson pass attempt failed
- Week 3 · Kent State · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +3.09Al-Jay Henderson run for 38 yds for a TD (Jack Howes KICK)
- Week 2 · Saint Francis · 1st and 20 · Q2 · EPA +3.01Ta'Quan Roberson pass complete to Al-Jay Henderson for 22 yds to the SFPA 39 for a
- Week 2 · Saint Francis · 3rd and 13 · Q3 · EPA +2.68Ta'Quan Roberson pass complete to Al-Jay Henderson for 20 yds to the BUF 42 for a
4 more plays
- Week 4 · Troy · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.65Al-Jay Henderson 22 Yd Run
- Week 2 · Saint Francis · 3rd and 1 · Q1 · EPA +2.45Al-Jay Henderson run for 1 yd for a TD (Jack Howes KICK)
- Week 8 · Massachusetts · 4th and 2 · Q1 · EPA −2.39Al-Jay Henderson run for no gain to the MASS 35
- Week 2 · Saint Francis · 2nd and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.14Al-Jay Henderson run for 10 yds for a TD (Jack Howes KICK)
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
179 of 182 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
37%179 carriesFumble rate
1.6%3 of 182 carries · 2 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds20%of carries
35 carries
Grind
1–3 yds39%of carries
70 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds33%of carries
59 carries
Explosive
10+ yds8%of carries
15 carries
9 of 16 (56%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 1 of 5 (20%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
4.1 yds/carry on 182 carries · 8% explosive (10+ yds) · 37% success rate.
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
All 25 box-score receptions covered (play-by-play lists 26)
4 of 32 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
329% of team targetsCatch rate
81%26 of 32 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
50% of targets (2)
50%catch rate
Air -3.5 · YAC 0.0 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
50% of targets (2)
100%catch rate
Air 4.0 · YAC 3.0 avg
81% catch rate on 32 targets · 9% of the team's targets.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
20%
Stuffed (≤0)
39%
Grind (1–3)
33%
Chunk (4–9)
8%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2022Buffalo7-6HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-leaning
2023Buffalo3-9HC: Maurice Linguist · Balanced
2024Buffalo9-4HC: Pete Lembo · Run-heavy
2025Buffalo5-7HC: Pete Lembo · Balanced
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 62.6 | 4.4 | 0.6 |
| Road5g | 63.4 | 4.2 | 0.4 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 69.7 | 3.8 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 56.2 | 4.9 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pete Lembo
Pass share
49.8%
409 pass / 413 run
Plays / game
68.5
12 games
Team sack rate
5.7%
442 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
182 carries and 25 catches in 12 games, more touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
33 · #293 of 326 RBs · 2025
Three-star recruit. Now #293 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot to repeat All-MAC
Based on 2025: #24 of 30 Mid-American RBs
How the All-MAC base rate is computed
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
Starter
The No. 1,527 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Mid-American as a senior.
Five seasons at Buffalo
- 2025 Buffalo LemboYear 5 · 12 games
- 2024 Buffalo LemboYear 4 · 13 gamesAll-conference
- 2023 Buffalo LinguistYear 3 · 5 games
- 2022 Buffalo LinguistYear 2 · 10 games
- 2021 Buffalo LinguistYear 1 · on the roster, no stat line
- High school IrvingtonIrvington, NJ · Class of 2021Three-star, No. 1,527 in the 2021 class. Signed with Buffalo.Also from Irvington: Adon Shuler (Notre Dame), Vaboue Toure (Penn State), Mikai Gbayor (Florida State) and 5 more.
A stat line in 40 games over four seasons.
2021
- Signed with BuffaloThree-star, out of Irvington
2024 13 games
- All-MACthird
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC
All-MAC mention (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2021–2025
2 coaches2021–2023
Buffalo
Coaching transition mid-career: Maurice Linguist → Pete Lembo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.