For Ohio State, the wide receivers department is gold, and Jeremiah Smith did not waste much time making his feelings clear to a five-star recruit. Chris Henry Jr. stole the headlines in the 2026 recruiting class, but he still hasn’t made up his mind on where he will commit. With Smith endorsing Henry Jr.’s arrival, it looks like the Ohio State wide receiver wants the star player on the team.

“WE NEED YOU!!!!💯,” wrote the Ohio State receiver on X on December 3.

If Henry Jr. inks with the Buckeyes, he’d spend one season alongside Smith before the star likely declares for the 2027 NFL Draft. Adding Henry Jr. would give Ohio State another five-star weapon to share the field with Smith and eventually carry the torch. A year of mentorship under Smith could be invaluable for Henry Jr., potentially creating a seamless transition of leadership in the Buckeyes.

However, it appears that Henry Jr. may have other plans at the moment.

“I have not signed yet. Still trying to weigh my options due to coaching changes, I just want to make the right decision for my future, wrote Henry Jr. on X, stating why he delayed his signing.

God’s plan.”

Notably, Henry dropped his update just hours after news broke that Brian Hartline, the architect of Ohio State’s vast receiver empire, had hit the exit door. He is off to take up the head coaching job at the South Florida Bulls. He was a key part of the Buckeyes’ staff, holding the offensive coordinator role since 2018.

The 5-star recruit committed to Ohio State in July 2023 and shut down his recruitment in April 2025. Everyone knows Ohio State earned the title of Wide Receiver University because of Hartline. So maybe Henry Jr. was picturing himself enrolling under Professor Hartline’s conveyor belt of elite wide receivers.

Interestingly, his fellow receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt hit the signing-day switch, jumping from the Buckeyes to the USC Trojans. He joined four other Mater Dei products already packing for USC.

Even though Henry Jr. was committed to Ohio State, the poaching attempts continued. What Smith did now, Dakorien Moore made a similar appeal on November 25. On behalf of Oregon, their wide receiver tried his hand at wooing the Buckeyes commit away. 

“Need you by my side, family @ChrisHenryJr,” Moore’s tweet read. 

Maybe Moore saw Henry Jr. as the solution to their wide receiver problem. Tez Johnson went off to the 2025 NFL Draft, and five-star phenom Evan Stewart was sidelined before the season even kicked off. This left the Ducks suddenly thin at the wide receiver position, with an empty nest at wideout.

At Mater Dei, Henry Jr.’s flashes of greatness have been undeniable – 607 yards and 28 catches in eight outings. The journey kicked off in February 2024, when the Withrow standout earned first-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-America status by racking up 71 receptions, 1,127 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

But Oregon doesn’t exactly have the juice right now to steal Henry Jr. If he’s pressing pause on Ohio State because of coaching chaos, the Ducks are in the same boat. The Oregon offensive coordinator, Will Stein, just got scooped up by the Kentucky Wildcats to be their new head coach.

Since touching down in Eugene, Stein turned Oregon into a scoring machine, cracking the top 10 in offense in two of his three seasons. Along the way, he coached not one but two Heisman finalists: Bo Nix in 2023 and Dillon Gabriel in 2024. Moreover, Henry Jr. has numerous potential suitors waiting for him. 

USC Trojans turn up the heat in the Chris Henry Jr. recruiting race

On3’s Pete Nakos reported back on November 20 that Oregon and USC Trojans were swinging the hardest for the Mater Dei standout. With the Ducks fading, it’s officially Lincoln Riley’s time to jump in headfirst. The Trojans are cooking up a monster 2026 recruiting class.

They’ve already locked in 30 signees. With the early signing period still rolling, there are plenty of big-time prospects left for USC to flip into their No. 1 squad. Talking about Henry Jr.’s suitors, the Trojans and Ducks have a history of competing for top recruits. 

The Trojans sparked fireworks in the 2026 class when they snatched four-star quarterback Jonas Williams from Oregon. And they weren’t done.

Five-star tight end Mark Bowman picked USC, too, leaving Oregon and a crowd of big programs in the dust. Talking about how they can woo Henry Jr.?

Dixon-Wyatt and Henry Jr. were supposed to be a package deal, and they still might be, just in USC colors. If Henry Jr. heads to LA, he’ll get Riley, a head coach who builds explosive offenses. Plus, USC’s future under center is rock solid, a huge selling point for any elite wideout.

Jayden Maiava could run it back for another year, or five-star gunslinger Husan Longstreet from the 2025 class could take the reins. Meanwhile, Ryan Day isn’t hitting the brakes on recruiting. Instead of stressing over Henry Jr.’s wait-and-see mode, he went out and landed his first 2026 wideout, Brock Boyd.

Does that move nudge Henry Jr. toward shutting the Buckeye door? These are busy times for the standout recruit.