Ex-Brophy track star Brennen McHenry transfers from Texas to ASU

• McHenry aims to compete in high jump, long jump and the 100-meter dash for the Sun Devils, hoping to regain his peak form after a knee injury.

One of the best high school jumpers in state history is headed home.

Brennen McHenry, a 2023 Phoenix Brophy Prep graduate, is transferring from the University of Texas to Arizona State University. McHenry is the only high school combo jumper ever from Arizona to clear 7 feet in the high jump and hit 24 feet in the long jump. 

With the track and field program at Texas undergoing a change that is seeing an influx of transfers, McHenry didn’t feel that the Longhorns were the best fit for him moving forward.

“I really wanted to go somewhere I was much more valued,” McHenry said. “Our Texas team is kind of going through a rebuild. This was the perfect opportunity for me to come back home.”

Both of McHenry’s parents attended ASU and he grew up attending football games. Being back in the Valley is a dream come true.

“When I was a little kid, I always thought I was going to go to ASU,” McHenry said. “It’s a full-circle moment to be here right now and represent them in athletics and doing track and field. That’s huge for me.”

The day after McHenry entered the transfer portal, he received a phone call from Phillip Butler Jr., the jumps coach at ASU. Butler already had a personalized plan ready for McHenry and acted quickly once he saw McHenry’s name in the portal.

As a senior at Brophy, McHenry exploded onto the scene when he opened the season with a 7-0 in the high jump and ended the year as the AIA state champion in the long jump at 24-10.25, which earned him a scholarship to Texas.

“When I was a senior, that was his (Butler) first year in the program,” McHenry said. “He called my dad and he actually apologized to myself and my dad. He was like, ‘I’m sorry for not recruiting Brennen harder. I was given the team I had and I couldn’t really add to it. I’m really sorry about it. This is my chance to make it up.’ It was very sincere.”

McHenry hasn’t been able to do much of the long jump and high jump in college. He sustained a knee injury after his coaches at Texas had him try out the triple jump.

Since 2023, McHenry has competed in only 13 long-jump competitions and seven high jumps.

The plan is for McHenry to do both the long jump and high jump at ASU and also run the 100 meters, where McHenry owns a personal best of 10.57 seconds. He will train with the sprinters and jumpers at ASU.

McHenry is a part of a 2025 men’s recruiting class that is starting to take shape for the Sun Devils track and field program and head coach Dion Miller. 

College track and field coaches across the country are having to re-adjust their approach to team building as the impacts of the House settlement, which allows schools to directly pay athletes, start to take effect with roster limits. Some schools are just focusing on a few events, some are going hard on the transfer portal and international athletes.

ASU also has signed sprinters and brothers Duaine and Dontay Mayrant from California. Their mother, Lashinda Demus, was the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles.

Additional signees include: Nolan Bartle, the 2025 Texas 6A state runner-up in the 100-hurdles; Kingston Waring, the 2025 California state runner-up in the 300-hurdles; and Nasir Tucker, one of the top junior college long jumpers from Pima Community College in Tucson.

“I think the team is going to be good,” McHenry said. “I really do think the track and field team is going to be much better. We signed some great people so far across the board. I trust Dion with this. He seems like a great coach. I believe this team has great potential. People better look out for us. We’re not going to be quiet. We’re going to be out there.”

McHenry hasn’t been able to quite reach the form he had in high school, failing to record a personal best in the high jump in college. He was able to hit 25-0 in the long jump this past season, adding a couple inches to his personal best.

With specialized training and a new setting, McHenry is energized as he gets ready to compete for the Sun Devils. McHenry said his knee is “pretty close” to being at full strength.

“One of the things that is going to immediately help me is that I’m finding myself here. I’m back home. I’m at a college I really do resonate with and have grown up around,” McHenry said. “I really am expecting some big things for this next season. I believe it’s going to happen with the Sun Devils.

“I want to come there and I want to win the Big 12 championship. I want to bring it home to Sun Devil nation. That’s my goal.”

Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.