Three years ago, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning flipped a legacy prospect, Jeremiah McClellan, from Ohio State at the last moment. A similar scenario could have unfolded in Columbus for five-star Chris Henry Jr’s commitment. With USC, Oregon, and West Virginia coming in strong and Brian Hartline moving to USF, the future for a moment looked bleak for 3-year commit Henry Jr. in Columbus.

“I was planning to sign with Ohio State that day, and got a call from coach Hartline,” Henry Jr detailed on a 7th January podcast episode. “He was letting me know that he was going to take the head coaching job at South Florida, and I was just in shock.”

Chris Henry Jr. reveals standing amid the chaos of celebration and expectation when signing day arrived. He was surrounded by his family and Ohio State faithful, but utterly paralyzed. While his peers inked their futures amid cheers, Henry froze as other programs swarmed with aggressive pitches, turning a moment of triumph into raw emotional turmoil that tested his loyalty to Columbus.

“I didn’t really feel confident signing. So, I was there, the whole family was there. I was the only person who didn’t sign that day for my day of signing. It was just a lot that day to really process.  I was getting a lot of phone calls and stuff. A lot of schools were calling me, trying to flip me,” Chris Henry Jr added.

Chris Henry Jr’s recruiting journey has been largely dominated by staying loyal to the program, and hearing those ‘flip’ rumors was tough for every Ohio State fan. The 6’5″ and 205 lbs wide receiver committed to Ohio State in July 2023. The move happened after the program hosted over 35 prospects in its SummerFest, and Henry stood out. The commitment was also notable since Ohio State trusted him at a time when major recruiting agencies like 247 Sports and ON3 didn’t even grade the WR.

Ever since then, Henry Jr created a strong relationship with Buckeyes’ receivers coach Brian Hartline. He even shrugged off interest from other programs. Finally, in April 2025, the Mater Dei wide receiver closed his recruitment for good and trusted Hartline’s history of developing elite WRs like Marvin Harrison Jr and Garrett Wilson.

“My relationship with Coach Hartline and the development of WRs there is second to none. I want to be in Columbus, and I want to be a Buckeye.” Henry Jr said after closing his recruitment.

It was a win-win for both OSU and Henry Jr. The program was getting the nation’s top WR in the 2026 class, who offered elite size and athleticism. Henry Jr, in turn, was gaining OSU’s ‘Wide Receiver U’ tag and a promise to be developed under Hartline. However, all of it changed after USF came calling for OSU’s offensive coordinators and wide receivers’ coach.

On December 3, USF hired Brian Hartline to be its head coach. Hartline quickly agreed to a six-year deal with the program and moved upwards in his coaching trajectory. However, Henry Jr was left in a massive conundrum. As a result, the WR opened his recruitment again. Consequently, programs like USC and Oregon flocked quickly, given Henry’s elite talent.

Chris Henry opens up on what made him finally stay at Ohio State, despite Hartline’s exit

With the early national signing period underway, Henry delayed his recruitment, taking a feel for different programs. The Santa Ana, California native even posted a picture with OSU, Oregon, and USC’s hats on the table, fueling speculations of a potential flip. Despite the whirlwind of drama, a call from head coach Ryan Day ultimately persuaded Henry to stay in Columbus.

“Oregon, Texas, LSU, you name it, West Virginia, it was crazy,” Henry Jr said. “I was getting a lot of phone calls. But you know what ultimately made me stay is really just talking with Coach Day. Just hearing their plan is for me and what type of situation I’mma be in. The guys I’mma be around, the guys I get to learn from, the quarterback I’mma have.”

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Henry Jr finally announced his decision to remain at Ohio State on Pat McAfee’s show and fended off the jitters OSU fans were getting. Upon looking back, probably that drama was needed since the WR comes after getting full closure from other programs, which reduced the likelihood of a flip. It’ll be interesting to see if his decision to stick with OSU works out for both parties, hisand the program’s, in the 2026 season.