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Chris Henry Jr., Five-Star WR Recruit, Announces Ohio State Decision After Delay

The highly touted recruit held off on signing a letter of intent to weigh his options.

Tom Dierberger

Chris Henry Jr. announced his decision to sign with Ohio State on Friday.
Chris Henry Jr. announced his decision to sign with Ohio State on Friday. / ESPN
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Chris Henry Jr. will be a Buckeye after all.

The highly touted five-star wide receiver recruit from Santa Ana, Calif., announced Friday on The Pat McAfee Show that he is keeping his commitment to Ohio State. On Wednesday, Henry opted not to sign a letter of intent on National Signing Day due to his lead recruiter, longtime Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, being hired as the new head coach at South Florida.

“I’ve been committed to the Buckeyes for a long time,” Henry said. “Coach Hartline leaving really impacted my recruitment heavily. I really just had to take time and step back to reevaluate everything. After consulting my family and taking time to think about it, I’ll be committing and I’m staying committed to the Ohio State University.”

Henry initially committed to Ohio State back in July 2023. The son of former NFL receiver Chris Henry, he’s a consensus five-star player and is the No. 10 overall prospect on the247Sports composite.

Henry will join a program that has been loaded with talent at wide receiver over the last decade—and many of those players have gone on to become stars in the NFL: Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson, to name a few.

“I just feel like they are the right fit for me,” Henry said. “I made my decision a couple years ago, and it was the right choice. ... Even though Hartline did leave, Ohio State has always been in my heart since I committed. I’ll be staying home at the Ohio State University.”

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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