Ohio State Offers Son Of Late Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chris Henry

Chris Henry Jr. is now one of just two prospects in the class of 2026 with an offer from the Buckeyes.

Following Ohio State’s one-day camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Monday afternoon, wide receivers coach Brian Hartline could be heard singing the praises of 2026 Cincinnati West Clermont wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever offered a 14-year-old,” Hartline said while making a FaceTime call with an unknown person.

It wasn’t a surprise, either, as the 6-foot-3 and 170-pound Henry – who is the son of the late Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver of the same name – dominated players as much as four years old than him all afternoon.

He then became just the second player in his class to land an offer from the Buckeyes, joining Loganville (Ga.) Grayson defensive end Tyler Atkinson, even though he’s yet to play a game at the high school level. 

“I’m honored,” Henry told BuckeyesNow and other reporters gathered at the camp. “It makes me want to work harder. It’s a surprise, but I think I earned it because I worked for it. It just makes me want to get better.”

Henry had not met Hartline prior to Monday, but quickly found out why he’s widely regarded as one of the best wide receivers coaches and recruiters in the country. Hartline, meanwhile, saw a young prospect with all of the potential in the world.

“He’s a great coach,” Henry said. “He helped me throughout the drills and he helped me get better today. I think he liked my ability to track the ball down, my speed and that I’m a very coachable player.

Henry lost his father when he was just 2 years old after he fell out of the back of a pickup truck and hit his head during what authorities later described as a domestic dispute with his fiancée in 2009. His legacy lives on more than a dozen years later, though, having caught 119 passes for 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns during his NFL career – as well as through his son, who hopes to be better than his father one day.

“He inspired me because I want to work as hard as he did and make it to the places he’s been and to be better than him,” Henry said. “I think it became a reality a few months ago, like the start of my eighth-grade season where I started having more looks and just knowing that I’m an elite receiver.”

That said, Henry’s support system includes some of his father’s former teammates at West Virginia, where he played from 2002-04, including cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones and wide receiver Dee Alston, who he refers to as his uncles. Jones actually adopted Henry and his brother, DeMarcus, in 2021, while Alston will be his offensive coordinator at West Clermont this fall.

“They are freaks of nature when it comes to sports,” Jones said on a podcast with NFL great Shannon Sharpe last September. “We love each other hard. We cry together, we pray together, we do everything together. We’re all family ... It’s heartwarming because I know my man is just sitting up there smiling.”

Thanks to that support, Henry is already well on his way to being one of the most sought-after wide receivers in his class, with early offers from Akron, Marshall, UConn, USF and West Virginia, in addition to Ohio State. He knows he must continue to improve every day in order to reach his lofty goals, though, which extend far beyond being known as 'the son of the late Chris Henry.'

“I don’t let it get to my head,” Henry said. “I just stay humble, but I’m very thankful and blessed to receive the offer.”

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