No. 1 WR Chris Henry Jr. Signs With Ohio State Buckeyes Amid LSU Football Pursuit

Lane Kiffin and Co. swung for the fences down the stretch, unable to pull off the Signing Day shocker.

Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes recruits Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Chris Henry Jr. walk onto the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 52-6. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. will stay true to his Ohio State Buckeyes commitment and sign with Ryan Day's program, he revealed on Friday morning.

Henry, the No. 1 wide receiver in America, received significant offers from the LSU Tigers, Oregon Ducks, Texas Longhorns, and USC Trojans during the Early Signing Period, but will sign the dotted line with Ohio State.

Despite Buckeyes wide receivers coach Brian Hartline departing Columbus for the head coaching gig with South Florida, Henry Jr. has made his move to stay loyal to Ohio State.

“I made my decision a couple years ago and it was for the right choice,” Henry said on the McAfee Show.

“Taking my time to think about it and step back, even though Hartline did leave, Ohio State has been in my heart since I committed. I’ll be staying home at The Ohio State University.”

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

The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder has emerged as the No. 1 wideout in America where the Buckeyes once again land the coveted pass-catcher.

Despite LSU being unable to get over the finish line, the effort from Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers to enter the race late and piece together a lucrative offer sets the table for what is to come in the NCAA Transfer Portal from the staff in Baton Rouge.

After Kiffin arrived in Louisiana on Sunday evening, he's hit the recruiting trail with force with the program financially in a place to put together strong offers.

"That is our number one focus right now is to sign the best class that we possibly can Wednesday," Kiffin said on Monday. "Also, we have big-picture thinking too.

"We're not reaching or we're not signing kids because they're from this school or that school or any of that stuff, okay? We're going to sign the best players that we can on Wednesday.

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"I know what the interest was of players nationally to come play for us where we were just at, and now when you put that with this stadium and with that logo, it makes me want to get on the phone right now."

LSU has signed 12 players to the 2026 Recruiting Class with the program remaining active down the stretch with the final day of the Early Signing Period on Friday.

More LSU News:

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Three Takeaways From Lane Kiffin's Introductory Press Conference With LSU Football

Lane Kiffin Reveals How Nick Saban, Pete Carroll Influenced Decision to LSU Football

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