Chris Henry Jr., one of the top wide receivers in the 2026 recruiting class, announced Wednesday on Early National Signing Day that he intends to play his college football at Ohio State.
However, he hasn’t officially signed any paperwork committing to the Buckeyes.
Current OSU star Jeremiah Smith is doing his part to recruit Henry to the Buckeyes:
Henry is rated by 247Sports as a 5-star recruit, as well as the No. 10 overall player, No. 1 wide receiver and No. 1 player from the state of California in his class.
Several high-profile programs made Henry scholarship offers, including Oregon, USC, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Texas.
Henry is the son of former NFL wide receiver Chris Henry, who was a third-round pick in the 2005 NFL draft out of West Virginia and played five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, recording 119 receptions for 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns.
The elder Henry died in 2009 at the age of 26.
Like his father, Henry Jr. possesses an impressive size-speed combo, as he stands 6’5″ and weighs 205 pounds, and is a high school track star in addition to his prowess on the football field.
Andrew Ivins, the director of scouting for 247Sports, named Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins as a player to whom Henry compares favorably.
Collins is a 6’4″, 222-pound wide receiver out of Michigan who is trending toward his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, and was named a Pro Bowler for the first time last season.
In Ohio State, Henry could choose a school that has churned out elite wide receiver talent to the NFL for several years.
Former OSU wideouts currently in the NFL include Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks, Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets, Emeka Egbuka of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chris Olave of the New Orleans Saints, Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals and Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders.
Brian Hartline, who is a former Ohio State and NFL wide receiver, has played a significant role in the OSU-to-NFL pipeline for wideouts.
Hartline joined the Ohio State coaching staff as an assistant in 2017, served as wide receivers coach from 2018 to present, and has been offensive coordinator or co-OC since 2023.
Hartline is expected to become the next head coach at South Florida, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
