Summer workouts are already underway in Columbus, about six weeks before kickoff. The Ohio State Buckeyes are no exception. Recently, 5-star freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. sat down on his Henry Legacy podcast to give fans an inside look at how college life has been treating him. When his co-host asked him straight up how the Buckeyes’ summer workouts have been going so far, Chris didn’t hold back.

The former 5-star kept it totally real with the listeners, admitting with a smile, “It’s been good, I ain’t gonna lie,” and doubled down on what the Buckeyes are doing with him, giving props to legendary Director of Strength and Conditioning Mickey Marotti. “Coach Mick and, you know, the rest of the strength staff been getting me right. They definitely been… They’ve been getting me right for sure, mentally, physically, all the above.”

When the ESPN No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 class arrived in Columbus, he expected to dominate early. Instead, he struggled to earn his black stripe off as fast as he thought. The slow start forced the young wideout to take inventory of his game and schedule a direct meeting with head coach Ryan Day to figure out exactly what was holding him back.

In that meeting, Day told him the Big Ten would not care about his high school highlights. He made it clear that Henry Jr. had to play more physically and think faster than he did in high school, or the stripe would stay on.

The biggest change, Henry Jr. says, is how the staff now coaches him before every rep. Instead of just telling him to “go get open,” position coaches pause him, reset his stance, and make him explain the coverage before he runs the route. That extra five seconds of teaching each play slowed his mind down and made his body faster, he said. It was the detail that turned his spring around.

That mindset talk became a daily routine. Henry Jr. started arriving early for extra film with the receivers coaches, then went straight to the weight room with strength coach Mickey Marotti. He stopped skipping breakfast, added an extra shake, and treated every hallway sprint like a game rep. The program did not change. His day did.

Within the next few months, the fruits of his labor fell into place. Chris added noticeable muscle, moving from around 195 pounds toward the 200–210 range. Eventually, it paid off. During spring practice, he became just the second freshman on the roster to get his black stripe officially removed, doing so in just 12 practices.

He backed the hype a few days later by racking up about 100 yards in the annual Spring Game. Now, with his body and mind completely transformed by the strength staff, Chris is officially locked in for the upcoming season. Coach Day has already challenged him to go out and fight for a Day 1 starting spot on the depth chart this fall.

Now closer to 200-plus pounds and with a frame similar to Jeremiah Smith, he looks built for a real role in Year 1.

Chris Henry’s Year 1

There’s no doubt Chris Henry is a phenomenal wide receiver prospect. He just signed an NIL deal with Nike. However, needless to say, Ohio State’s WR1 role is literally untouchable. Not even the majority of NFL wide receivers can take that away from Jeremiah Smith.

So, his main goal for the fall is to go out and secure the No. 2 outside receiver spot right next to him. Unlike past seasons, Ohio State is a little thin on experienced depth at the position because so many players hit the portal and the draft. Chris has a great opportunity to take advantage of it.

Based on what he showed during spring practices and the Spring Game, a realistic freshman season would be 30 to 40 catches, over 500 receiving yards, and 5 to 7 touchdowns. If he locks down that starting job very early in the season, those numbers are only going to do better, perhaps in the north of 800 yards, which should help him set himself up to be the WR1 when and if Smith leaves for the NFL.