Every once in a while, I’ll get a feeling about a particular college football player. Usually, it’s a quarterback. Something about the player stands out, as if he has an aura. Sometimes it’s poise. Sometimes it’s toughness. Sometimes it’s both. Often it’s difficult to define, but I know “it” when I see it.

I felt that way about Tom Brady. On January 1, 2000, I sat in a Fort Lauderdale hotel room half-sleeping off the effects of a post-Millennium Party hangover and watching Michigan battle Alabama in the Orange Bowl. I was with my brother and his best friend, who are both Michigan grads. Before the game, I told them how much I liked Brady. I had never understood why Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was platooning Brady and Drew Henson during the 1999 season. It was obvious Brady was the better quarterback. Brady relieved Henson in the second half of that Orange Bowl and led the Wolverines to victory. After the game, I told everyone in the room that Brady would make a fine NFL quarterback. I guess I shot too low.

In 2002, I got the same feeling about Rex Grossman. As a sports anchor/reporter in West Palm Beach, Florida, I covered the Florida Gators on a fairly regular basis, interviewing Grossman several times. His attitude always impressed me. He wasn’t cocky, but he was sure confident. You just sensed the kid knew what he was doing and where he was going. On a rainy Tennessee night in September 2002, Grossman solidified his status as a future star in my mind. Grossman single-handedly beat the favored Vols that night, standing in the pocket in the face of an orange onslaught and slinging the soggy ball all over Neyland Stadium. It was impossible for anyone to watch that game and not come away impressed. That’s why I’m not surprised at the way Grossman has elevated his game this year.

This year, I’m getting the same feeling about Michigan junior quarterback Chad Henne. And before you accuse me of having a thing for the maize and blue, you should know that I grew up an Ohio State fan. I hate Michigan. I hate my brother for going to Michigan. But I can’t suppress the feeling that Henne is an NFL star in the making. His presence in the pocket is sizable. He’s not exceptionally tall at 6-2, but he’s tall enough. And at 225 pounds, he’s plenty big enough to take the hits that a dropback passer has to take. His arm strength is excellent, and he throws a beautiful, catchable ball. He doesn’t make mistakes, as evidenced by his 62/24 career touchdown-to-interception ratio. But Henne’s most impressive attribute is his accuracy. How many times have you seen Mario Manningham have to break stride to catch a pass this year? It rarely happens, if ever. Joe Montana had that kind of accuracy. So do Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. I’m not saying Henne is Montana, Manning or Brady. But he’s been getting the job done since taking the Michigan reins as a freshman. And he’s only a junior; he’s going to get even better.

So keep an eye on Henne. We don’t know yet if he’ll forego his senior year to enter the NFL Draft. If he does, he won’t get the ink that Brady Quinn, Brian Brohm or Troy Smith get. But for my money, Henne’s the one to watch. He has everything an NFL team could want in a quarterback. Henne has “it.”