Five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. is sticking with Ohio State.
One of the top recruiting prizes of the Class of 2026 announced Friday on The Pat McAfee Show that he’s staying with his original commitment with the Buckeyes. Henry, who was starred at powerhouse Mater Dei in California, picked Ohio State over Big Ten rival Oregon, ending a 3-day mystery over where he would end up signing.
There were rumors abound over the past few days that Henry could flip his commitment to Oregon. He originally committed to Ohio State in late July of 2023, so it’s been a long road for the Buckeyes in locking down that commitment for the 2026 season.
According to a report by Rivals.com, Henry had been ready to commit to Ohio State on Wednesday at the beginning of the Early Signing Period. But everything was thrown up in the air regarding the Buckeyes when Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline announced he was taking the head coaching job at South Florida.
But after a few days of thinking it over, Henry is staying with his commitment to Columbus. USC and Texas were also in the mix for Henry, along with Oregon.
Henry is the 10th-ranked player in the Class of 2026, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s also the top-ranked wide receiver in the class and the top-rated player from the state of California, according to those Composite rankings.
Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class is ranked 6th in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The Buckeyes have signed 26 players to letters of intent, and now they have a top wideout recruiting prize to boast about going into next year as they try to defend their national championship this season.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
