Pat McAfee Confirms West Virginia 'Was in the Running' for Chris Henry Jr.

After taking a couple of days to reevaluate his situation, five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. announced on The Pat McAfee Show that he would be sticking with Ohio State and signing with the Buckeyes today, the final day of the early signing period.

Once Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline took the USF head coaching job, it opened up an opportunity for schools like LSU, Oregon, Texas, USC, and even West Virginia to make a run at the top receiver in high school football.

While the odds were certainly stacked against the Mountaineers, McAfee did state on his show a few minutes after Henry's decision that West Virginia was being considered.

“West Virginia was in the running because of who his father is. His dad, a legend at West Virginia, so him and Pacman (Jones) best friends at West Virginia. I mean, they were menaces on the football field. Maybe the most talent we’ve ever had on a field. So, there’s a chance Chris Henry Jr. wants to come back to West Virginia, and I think everybody that knows his family understands what the business opportunities were here because of who he is. They were floating some numbers out there on what was offered to Chris Henry Jr. from some of these schools, and it’s like, he’s got the work ethic, he’s got the lineage, he’s got the drive, he’s got the mentality, and he’s obviously got the physical traits.”

.@ChrisHenryJr has ALL of the traits and he can do it all..

"Him staying committed to Ohio State sends a MASSIVE message..

Ryan Day and his staff are gonna continue to add unbelievable recruits" ~ @KirkHerbstreit #PMSLive https://t.co/7JkChTMDFT pic.twitter.com/3lSu9t6FUx
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 5, 2025

Despite not landing Henry, the one thing we've learned this recruiting cycle is that the Mountaineers are going to be able to compete in this new era of college football, financially. Obviously, Rich Rodriguez and the folks over inside the Milan Puskar Center have to work around the clock to continue fundraising, but this year's class proves they're more than capable. They were able to secure signatures from offensive lineman Kevin Brown and athlete Matt Sieg, both of whom were previously committed to Penn State, and then flipped Wisconsin running back pledge Amari Latimer.

The future is bright in Morgantown, and this staff is just getting started.

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