Ohio State recruiting insider just let the cat out of the bag on the situation around Chris Henry Jr. potentially flipping to Oregon
Ohio State losing Brian Hartline has had a bit of a chain reaction and it’s likely to impact Chris Henry Jr.’s commitment.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have already had quite the week leading up to the Big Ten Championship against the Indiana Hoosiers. Brian Hartline’s decision to leave Ohio State to become a head coach has been the biggest news for the Buckeyes.
Though everyone knew Hartline would eventually leave Columbus, the timing caught some by surprise. The offensive coordinator and receivers coach opting to depart after the College Football Playoff run has already had an impact on recruiting, as top commitment Chris Henry Jr. did not sign with the Buckeyes on National Signing Day. While Henry Jr. remains committed, the situation doesn’t look promising for Ohio State’s chances of keeping him.
Chris Henry Jr. is likely to land with the Oregon Ducks over Ohio State
Oregon is the school to watch for Henry Jr., and the Ducks have been lurking throughout the recruitment, waiting for an opportunity. As long as Hartline was in Columbus, the Buckeyes had no real concerns about holding onto the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 class. Now that Hartline is gone, Henry Jr. appears poised to take a bigger NIL payday elsewhere.
“At this point, conversations being what they are, I fully expect that Oregon will be the team to sign Chris Henry Jr., and as I mentioned, the amount of money being talked about here for Ohio State is not the problem, let’s be clear,” Jeremy Birmingham of 97.1 The Fan said recently. “It is that amount of money for a player who has not played college football, who is not named Jeremiah Smith.”
Ohio State is willing to give Henry Jr. a substantial payday to bring him to Columbus, but it’s not comfortable matching what Oregon is offering a player who has never taken a college snap. While Henry Jr. is a great talent and has been committed since 2024 for a reason, anything can happen once a recruit prepares to leave home for college. That’s why there’s always inherent risk in handing out major NIL dollars to a true freshman—unless the player is Smith.
“The amount of money that Ohio State was offering was extremely generous and, from my understanding, more than they’ve put on the table for any player who isn’t Jeremiah Smith as a true freshman coming into the program.”
Ohio State has four-star wideouts Jerquaden Guilford and Jaeden Ricketts in the class, along with three-star Texas product Brock Boyd. If the Buckeyes can’t hold onto Henry — and it appears they won’t — they could redirect the money earmarked for him into the transfer portal. The Buckeyes haven’t gone big-game hunting in the portal at wide receiver under Hartline, simply because they haven’t needed to.
Henry Jr. not being part of Ohio State’s 2026 class would be a loss, and there’s no other way to put it. However, it’s easy to understand why the Buckeyes may miss out on this one, given how the last few days have unfolded.
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