Oregon Ducks Miss Flip of Ohio State 5-Star Recruit Chris Henry Jr. - Or Did They?

The Oregon Ducks are looking to flip one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class, five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., away from the Ohio State Buckeyes, and mixed reports have Henry Jr.'s commitment level with Ohio State unclear.

Chris Henry Jr., Mater Dei wide receiver, soaks up the atmosphere of the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks entered Wednesday's Early Signing Day expected to remain relatively quiet on the recruiting front, with nothing wild in terms of flips or decommits.

After it was announced that Ohio State Buckeyes wide receivers coach Brian Hartline would be leaving to take the head coaching job with the USF Bulls, buzz surrounding one of Oregon's top flip targets started to gain traction. Smith Jr. was announced as an Ohio State commit at Mater Dei's signing ceremony, but 247Sports' Tom Loy reported that USC and Oregon are still pursuing Henry Jr.

Ohio State has not announced Henry Jr.'s official signature despite remaining committed to Ohio State. As of Wednesday morning, his recruitment is still on going.

Chris Henry Jr. Announces With Ohio State?

Ohio State Buckeyes commit Chris Henry Jr. of Mater Dei High School in California walks across the sideline prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A product of prestigious Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA. five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. has announced that he will sign with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He has been committed to Ohio State for over two years, announcing his pledge to the Buckeyes on July 28, 2023. It had been hard to imagine him changing course after such a lengthy commitment, but stranger things have happened.

Those stranger things appeared to be taking place, but now all Henry Jr. has to do is put pen to paper and officially become a Buckeye. If Oregon fans want to hold out some hope, Ohio State has not officially announced the Henry Jr. signing just yet, so if Dan Lanning and the Ducks want to work the phones, they have that option it appears.

That said, Oregon went through its own major coaching loss with the departute of offensive coordinator Will Stein, who is taking the head coaching job with the Kentucky Wildcats. The Ducks certainly needed all they could get in order to flip Henry Jr. and it's hard to imagine that the loss of Stein helped in any way.

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MORE: Impact Of Oregon Ducks Losing Offensive Coordinator Will Stein To Kentucky 

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Chris Henry Jr. Had Connections to Oregon Ducks

Chris Henry Jr. part of the top-ranked recruits flocked to Eugene for the 2024 Oregon Ducks Saturday Night Live. | Ducks Wire-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Henry Jr. had some interesting connections to Oregon, as two of his former Mater Dei teammates currently play for the Ducks, both of whom are making an impact as freshmen.

Oregon running back Jordon Davison and linebacker Nasir Wyatt both played with Henry Jr. at Mater Dei last season in what was his first season with the elite high school program after transferring in.

Unfortunately, Henry Jr. missed most of the 2024 season due to a knee injury but still likely spent tons of time with his teammates, particularly Davison on the offensive side of the ball.

Henry Jr. also has a connection with Oregon wide receiver Dakorien Moore, who tried his best to publicly lure him to the Ducks with a plea on social media.

The idea of Henry Jr. joining forces with Moore in Eugene would have set the Ducks up to have arguably the top wide receivers corps in college football for the next few seasons, but instead, Oregon will have to watch Henry Jr. from afar in the Big Ten.