"He's a genius academically and he's a freak show athletically. So he's right at, or maybe exceeding, where we hoped he'd be at this time," Kolodziej said.
Henningsen's experience on the field isn't the only reason he's looked to for advice. He's a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree who carried a 4.0 grade-point average through his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. He's now enrolled in UW's graduate school in the same field.
Junior nose tackle Keeanu Benton's eyes got wide when asked about Henningsen's smarts on the football field.
"I wish I had his brain on my shoulders, let's say that," Benton said. "He is the smart guy. In my position, anybody really on a defense, you come ask him what they're doing and he can probably tell you because his mind is filled with knowledge. That's a great person to learn from."
Henningsen's feedback also has been valuable for Kolodziej, who's in his first year as the position coach after six years as UW's strength and conditioning coach.
"I know I could go to him and get reliable information in terms of, what, how, why things were the way they were," Kolodziej said. "He's encyclopedic and photographic with his memory and recall. So (he's) a great resource for all of us."
Henningsen takes his role as a leader seriously, saying he's had good examples in the position group before him like Alec James, Chikwe Obasih, Olive Sagapolu and Conor Sheehy. Loudermilk and Rand also were influences, he said. He intends to show the younger players all he can while helping the group build good camaraderie.