There has been a lot of hoopla surrounding the 2026 Ohio State recruiting class. Despite being committed to Ohio State for 861 days, the impending departure of wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline caused Chris Henry Jr. to reevaluate his standing with the Buckeyes. After careful consideration, weighing his options between Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Texas, and LSU, Henry reaffirmed his long-held commitment and will join Ohio State.
Henry joins a Buckeye haul that is one of the top classes in the nation as the only 247Sports five-star recruit. Ohio State now has 27 members of its 2026 class. Henry is the highest-rated receiver, joining four-star recruit Jerquaden Guilford and three-star recruits Brock Boyd and Jaeden Ricketts. 247Sports considers him the third-best receiver in the class. However, when considering the composite ranking of all the services, he is the number-one player at his position.
BREAKING: Five-Star Plus+ WR Chris Henry Jr. is locked in with Ohio State and will sign with the Buckeyes, source told @rivals
The No. 1 WR in the 2026 Class remains solid on his 2+ year pledgehttps://t.co/aHBsWpiSCc pic.twitter.com/sor4vpn663
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 5, 2025
Ohio State Retains Top-Rated Receiver, Chris Henry Jr.
Henry has been a hot commodity ever since bursting onto the scene as a freshman at West Clermont High School outside of Cincinnati. Then, he moved to another Cincinnati high school, Withrow. Last year, he transferred to a nationally known football power, Mater Dei, in California. He only appeared in two games after suffering an injury, but was a superstar this year.
He’s a difference-maker at receiver. Henry is a Tee Higgins-type receiver who can use his big frame to turn 50-50 balls into 90-10 plays. While he may not be as developed as a route runner just yet, Henry is that dynamic outside receiver that defenses lose sleep over. He has incredible long speed and will take the top off the defense with ease.
He was completely locked into the Buckeyes’ class. When he shut down his recruitment, Henry specifically mentioned Hartline and his ability to develop receivers. Now that Hartline is set to leave, Henry, understandably, had to step back and reassess. At the end of it all, the Buckeyes won the day.
No Hartline, No Problem
Hartline has been the top recruiter of wide receiver talent since assuming the position coach role in 2018. In that time, Hartline has brought in six five-star receivers and 19 four-stars (including the 2025 class).
Eight of his receivers were drafted with five first-round picks over the last four NFL Drafts. Plus, there is a very good chance Carnell Tate joins Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson as first-round picks in 2026 (and Jeremiah Smith in 2028). He will stick with the Buckeyes through the College Football Playoff run. Once Ohio State is done, he will take off for South Florida.
No replacement has been named, but it is worth noting that Devin Jordan, assistant wide receiver coach, has been with the Buckeyes since 2022. With Hartline taking over as the play-caller for Ohio State this year, Jordan was more of the hands-on receivers coach for Smith, Tate, and company.
Henry mentioned that money was not a concern of his when it came to his recruitment. Ohio State is known for developing receivers. Now, Henry joins a stacked receiver room to be the next great one.
Main Image: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
The post Exhale, Buckeyes, Chris Henry Jr. Is Headed To Columbus appeared first on Last Word on College Football.