Widener University Athletics

Jason Henshaw is entering his sixth season as defensive line coach for the Pride. He is also in his fourth year as head coach of the junior varsity program.
 
The Blue and Gold shined on the defensive line in 2017 as both Casey Kerschner and Vince Char were named First Team All-MAC performers and d3football.com All-America honorees. Additionally, Kerschner garnered AFCA All-America accolades and was named the Manheim Touchdown Club’s Gene A. Carpenter Award winner as the D2/D3 Football Player of the Year. Widener led the MAC and was in the top-10 nationally in sacks while ranking in the top-25 in NCAA Division III in tackles for loss. “The Duo” as they were known led the conference in both categories individually as well with Char accumulating 1.32 sacks per game (7th in the country) and Kerschner posting 1.09 (14th nationally). Char was fifth in Division III with 2.2 TFL a contest while Kerschner ranked 12th at 1.9 an outing. 

Once again in 2016, Widener ranked near the top of the NCAA in several defensive statistics including sacks (10th), tackles for loss (14th) and third down defense (18th). Defensive end Byron Cooper was a Cliff Harris Award finalist and was named an AFCA Second Team and D3Football.com Third Team All-American and led a line that finished fourth nationally in rushing defense at 67.9 yards per game. Three of the four members of the MAC First Team Defensive Line came from the Pride as joining Cooper were Vince Char and Casey Kerschner. 

Widener had one of the nation’s most formidable pass rushes in the country in 2015, as seniors Brandon Jones, Shakore Philip and Stacey Sunnverville each made the All-Middle Atlantic Conference First Team and led a front line which ranked third in the nation in sacks per contest. Jones was also named a D3football.com All-American and the D3Football.com East Region Defensive Player of the Year along with a Cliff Harris Award finalist, while Sunnerville also picked up an all-region accolade and was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team for the third straight season. Thanks in large to the front line, the Pride ranked seventh nationally in total defense and 19th in rushing defense.

During the 2014 campaign, Henshaw coached a unit that was one of the most feared in the league with five players earning all-league recognition teams. Three players – Tyler Glover, John DiBiase and Philip - were named to the All-MAC First Team, marking the first time since 2006 that one program had three players achieve the feat. Glover was also named a D3football.com All-American, while Sunnerville landed on the second team and Alex Stewart was an honorable mention selection. DiBiase and Glover both earned All-ECAC Second Team laurels as well.
 
The defensive front ranked second in the country in rushing defense (68 ypg), keeping nine opponents under 100 yards and two with negative rushing totals, and was also third in total sacks (46) and second in sacks for a loss (129). The Pride finished 12-1 overall and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Henshaw mentored four all-Conference performers in 2013, which was highlighted by the sophomore duo of Philip and Sunnerville. Seniors Darius Johnson and John DiBiase both received All-MAC Honorable Mention status, and Philip was also an All-ECAC Second Team performer.

Prior to Widener, Henshaw spent the 2012 campaign as an offensive and defensive line coach for Henderson High School in West Chester and also assisted with the football team’s strength & conditioning program. In addition, he served as an assistant with the Valor Bowl Chester County Senior All-Star Game and was a volunteer assistant at West Chester in the spring of 2012. 
 
As a collegiate athlete, Henshaw was a Beyond Sports Network All-American as well as an All-Pennsylvania Athletic Conference selection at Kutztown. He was also a captain who helped the program win its first ever PSAC title and advance to the NCAA Tournament in each of 2010 and 2011 seasons before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from the school in 2011.