Chris Henry Jr., son of late NFL receiver, picks Ohio State

Chris Henry Jr., the son of the late NFL wide receiver and adopted son of former NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, was signed by the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday.

Henry, a Class of 2026 wide receiver at Withrow University High School in Cincinnati, received an offer from the Buckeyes on June 6, 2022, just before his freshman year of high school.

“I just felt like I was ready. I just got tired of waiting,” Henry Jr. told ESPN. “I already knew where I wanted to go. When I returned there, it just felt like home and I already felt like I wanted to be here.”

Chris Henry Sr., whose NFL career was marred by multiple arrests, died in December 2009 after falling from the back of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute.

Jones, the younger Henry’s adoptive father, was a close friend and teammate of Chris Henry Sr. in West Virginia from 2002 to 2004.

Jones told ESPN in May that the six-foot-tall, 185-pound Henry was “heaven for his ball knowledge, ability to track the ball at depth and the fluidity with which he runs his routes the limit”.

Henry, who also heavily considered Georgia, Clemson and USC, is the first signing for Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline in 2026 as the program continues on its path to signing senior receivers .

“They’re just letting me know I’m their priority,” Henry said of Day and Hartline. “Every time I go up there, every time we talk, they just let me know I’m their type and they really want me.”

Since Hartline became the Buckeyes’ wide receivers coach in 2018, Ohio State has signed 18 ESPN 300 wide receivers.

Jeremiah Smith (No. 9 overall) and Mylan Graham (No. 37) are part of the Buckeyes’ 2024 class, which ESPN ranked third.

Three players with Ohio State ties were drafted consecutively to the first round of the 2022 NFL draft — Garrett Wilson (No. 10; Jets), Chris Olave (No. 11; Saints) and Jameson Williams (No. 12; Lions). .

Williams spent his first two years with the Buckeyes before moving to Alabama ahead of the 2021 season.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was picked 20th overall by the Seattle Seahawks last April, and junior Marvin Harrison Jr., a Biletnikoff Award finalist, is expected to be in the top five in the 2024 NFL draft.

That lineage and productivity, along with Hartline’s passing concepts on offense, played a big part in Henry’s decision to go on his promise now.

“It’s honestly played a big role because I see what they’re doing now and I like how they’re designing their receivers over there,” Henry said.

The Buckeyes, who ranked ninth nationally last season with 490.7 yards per game, led the Big Ten in total offense and ranked in the top 10 nationally every year that Hartline was on the team.