Chris Henry Jr. was nearing the end of his initial interview with a small handful of reporters gathered outside of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center Friday when an observing family member chimed in.
The family member hinted that Henry Jr. had some news to share that had yet to be revealed following his visit to Columbus for Ohio State's SummerFest event, and that he couldn't tell it for him.
With a wry smile, Henry Jr. caved and let the cat out of the bag: The talented wideout had just committed to Ohio State, becoming the Buckeyes' first commitment of the 2026 class. Following his announcement, a small cry of cheers broke out from those that visited OSU with Henry Jr., including former Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones.
“It just felt like a great day,” Henry Jr. told reporters after revealing the news. “To be here, it just made it feel (right). Brought my uncle to see, because he was the one telling me to slow down. I was ready. When I talked to Coach Day, it was like no point in waiting anymore. … It’s just hard to turn down. It’s perfect for me and it fits me.
“The atmosphere. It’s the coaches, really. That’s really what it was, the coaches,“ Henry said of why he chose Ohio State over other top programs. “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.”
Henry Jr. previously visited Ohio State for a camp in June and was one of the most impressive players to work out for the Buckeyes during the month. The Ohio prospect said he's eager to become a leader in the 2026 class and help recruit future prospects to Columbus going forward.
"It's an amazing feeling to have a school like this have me as their priority," Henry Jr. said.
Ohio State also extended an offer to a prospect in the 2025 class, as New York offensive tackle Rowan Byrne left his first trip to Columbus with a Buckeyes offer in hand, with Ryan Day extending the offer personally.
After a great visit @OhioStateFB and a great conversation with @ryandaytime and @CoachJFrye Im excited to say Ive earned an offer to THE Ohio State University!! @Joespags12 @ionafootball @CoachMoffitt @CoachSollenne @RivalsFriedman @adamgorney @EdOBrienCFB @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/aPFAVmjSEA
— Rowan Byrne 4 (@RowanByrne6) July 28, 2023
"That's a big deal to me," Byrne said of receiving the offer to OSU. "That's one of the best programs all-time and one of the best programs right now. If they don't win 13 games this year and a national championship, it wasn't a good season. That says everything. That's where I want to play football, at a school where the expectation is to win every year."
A pair of high school teammates were also back at OSU on Friday, as Connecticut safety Ethan Long and Connecticut offensive tackle Matty Augustine made their second campus visit, their first since picking up their offer together after a camp in June. Both Long and Augustine are also former high school teammates of Ohio State freshman offensive tackle Miles Walker.
At Friday's event, Ohio State had a few recreational competitions for the recruits to participate in, such as dodgeball and a home run derby. Though it was Day that was the big winner of the home run derby, much to the dismay of 2025 tight end Luka Gilbert, who finished three home runs shy of matching Day's mark. Gilbert took a few minutes after the event to discuss his visit with reporters and offered insight on some of his future visit plans going forward.
Ohio offensive lineman Sam Greer was one of the three 2026 prospects in attendance that held an offer from the Buckeyes on Friday, and said he's also looking to make a commitment sooner rather than later, but that will likely come sometime in December after his sophomore season at Archbishop Hoban.
Other notable prospects making the trek to OSU this weekend included 2023 linebacker Nigel Glover (who recently entered the transfer portal following the fallout from the Northwestern hazing scandal), five-star 2025 cornerback Na’eem Offord, four-star 2025 defensive end Christopher Burgess Jr. and 2026 cornerback Elbert Hill.
Had a amazing time at Ohio state today thanks for having me @OhioStateFB @CoachTimWalton @HobanFootball @Hoban_Strength pic.twitter.com/0cR15pde10
— Elbert Hill (@Rockk114) July 29, 2023
Great workout!! @R2X_Rushmen1 #BUCKEYENATION pic.twitter.com/PC0TD9ufcx
— Christopher Burgess Jr (@ChrisBurgessJr) July 29, 2023
Many of the recruits who were already committed to Ohio State were also in attendance for Friday’s event, including 2024 linebacker Garrett Stover and offensive tackle Ian Moore and 2025 quarterback Tavien St. Clair, among others.
