Many Cincinnati Bengals fans will never forget the impact Chris Henry made in his five seasons with the team from 2005-09. While Henry’s NFL came to an unfortunate ending after passing away in 2009, his son, Chris Henry Jr., has carried on his legacy by becoming a top receiver prospect.
Henry Jr., who already reportedly is 6-foot-5 and weighs 185 pounds despite still being in high school, is considered one of the top prospects in the nation. But since he still has three more years before beginning his college career, he’s not yet ranked by any of the top recruiting services.
But that didn’t prevent the Ohio State Buckeyes from expressing early interest in the son of the NFL pro. They reportedly made Henry an offer back in 2022 before he had even played a high school game. Yet that early interest seems to have paid off, with Henry officially committing to the Buckeyes on Friday.
“The atmosphere. It’s the coaches, really. That’s really what it was, the coaches. I love it here. I love the energy and the atmosphere. I love everything about it. They make me feel like a priority every time I talk to them. And so that just makes me feel special.”
Chris Henry Jr. on Ohio State Buckeyes
Henry becomes the first 2026 recruit to commit to the Buckeyes. But it’s not like he didn’t have plenty of other suitors. As many as 25 Division I schools offered Henry a scholarship, including Michigan, USC, Miami (FL), and several others.
Even though he’s not yet ranked due to playing just one season thus far, many still view Henry as a future five-star recruit, and he just might develop into one of the very best prospects in his class.
Adam “Pacman” Jones, a former teammate of Henry Jr.’s father with the Bengals, actually adopted the young athlete and has helped him ever since his dad passed away.
Henry hopes to become the latest top Ohio State prospect to make a name for himself on the collegiate level before eyeing the NFL, but first things first, he has to get through high school. After that, who knows, maybe we’ll be comparing him to the Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s of the world. Either way, the Buckeyes are thrilled to land Henry Jr.
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