Two college football powerhouses pushing for 5-star Ohio State commit

As Ohio State attempts to keep five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. in the fold, the highly-coveted playmaker is being pushed by two major college football programs.

Henry (6-foot-5, 195) pounds transferred from Withrow University High School (Ohio) to Mater Dei High School (California) in February of last year before helping his new team to a national championship.

One of the top recruits in the entire country, Henry ranks as the No. 2 wideout, the No. 4 player in the state and the No. 20 overall recruit in the class of 2026, according to Rivals' industry. He opened his senior season with four catches for 134 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown, versus St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday.

Head coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes received a commitment from Chris Henry Jr. – the son of late Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry and brother to Ohio State women's basketball player Seini Hicks – back in July of 2023.

Henry shut down his recruitment in April of this year by cancelling official visits outside of his trip to Ohio State (June 20). However, he still seems to be taking calls from Oregon and Texas, Henry revealed to Marcus Benjamin of Rivals.

“They are still hitting me up, but I’m at Ohio State, so," Henry said.

Henry, who holds an On3 NIL valuation of $565,000, appears to be locked into the Buckeyes.

“It’s been great since I got the offer," Henry said. "Ain’t nothing changed. I still have a great relationship with coach Hartline and coach Day. I’m just blessed.”

Just about anything can happen on the recruiting trail. Highly-coveted recruits like Henry have backed off pledges before, even after announcing their recruitment as shut down. In this case, though, it would be surprising for Oregon or Texas to pull off the flip given how long Henry has been in the fold.