Liberty University alumnus Rashad Jennings returns to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ for show’s 20th birthday
November 10, 2025 : By Office of Communications & Public Engagement
Former Liberty University Flames Football and NFL running back and ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” Season 24 winner Rashad Jennings (’09) will show off his dance skills once again on Tuesday for the show’s 20th birthday celebration.
During his three years at Liberty (2006-08), Jennings rushed for 3,633 yards and set program records for career rushing touchdowns (42), 100-yard games (22) and points scored (278). Jennings was a consensus first-team All-American during his senior year and became the sixth player in program history to be selected in the NFL Draft. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders in 2013 and the New York Giants in 2014, where he played until his retirement in 2017.
Jennings has visited Liberty multiple times since his graduation — as a guest speaker at Convocation and the keynote speaker for the 2016 Commencement, and for a jersey retirement celebration in 2020.
Nearly a year after his Commencement address, Jennings took home the TV show’s coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy with his show partner, professional dancer Emma Slater, in 2017.
As part of the 20th birthday festivities, Jennings and other Mirrorball Trophy winners are participating in the Relay Dance part of the competition. While contestants usually dance with their professional dance partners during the Relay Dance, this season they will dance with Mirrorball champions. Jennings will partner with actress Elaine Hendrix, best known for her performance as Meredith Blake in the 1998 remake of “The Parent Trap” and a variety of TV shows.
“It’s humbling that I’m part of the 20th anniversary of the show,” Jennings said. “They brought back six of their most voted, beloved champions, and I am still to this day humbled that I am one of them.”
Jennings said he led a rehearsal on his own on Sunday, and it was a surreal experience to step into a pro’s shoes.
“It’s a unique and rare opportunity that I’m dancing with a celebrity,” he said. “They are bringing me on not to perform with the pro, but I’m actually standing as a pro, dancing with the celebrity. … Getting a chance to perform with an amazing person, my partner Elaine Hendrix, I’m truly humbled, happy, and look forward to putting smiles on people’s faces again.”
Jennings said he also looks forward to his continued involvement in the Liberty community, which supported him during the finale of his DWTS season by hosting a watch party on campus. Though the finale took place thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, hundreds came out to show their support.
“I always stay in touch with Liberty; I’m a Flame forever,” Jennings said, encouraging his Liberty family to watch. The “20th Birthday Party” premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST, simulcast LIVE across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and next day on Hulu.
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