2026 WR Chris Henry Jr. Makes Final Decision, Shuts Down Recruitment for Good

Any hope of a possible flip for West Virginia is now erased.

Chris Henry Jr.

The son of West Virginia legendary wide receiver Chris Henry Sr. has his mind made up. Chris Henry Jr. a consensus five-star receiver in the 2026 recruiting class is honoring his commitment to Ohio State and will cancel official visits to Miami (FL), Oregon, and USC, according to Bill Kurelic of 247 Sports.

While the Mountaineers didn't have an official visit set up, there was some hope, albeit a long shot, that over time, Henry would be willing to take an official to his father's alma mater, especially now that Rich Rodriguez is at the helm. Rodriguez coached his father during his first stint at WVU and his adoptive father, Adam "Pacman" Jones also played for the Mountaineers.

WVU athletic director Wren Baker and Rodriguez have each stated on numerous occasions that they feel confident that they'll be able to be competitive in the NIL space, but more so within their conference. There are no details as to what Henry's NIL package will look like in Columbus, but the Buckeyes have thrown around some big-time money, as evidenced by the $20 million roster they had in 2024. West Virginia can compete against most schools, but they'll often get outbid by programs such as Ohio State.

The opportunity to make good money is not the only reason Henry chose Ohio State either. The Buckeyes are on an incredible run of producing NFL players at the receiver position such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, K.J. Hill, Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Noah Brown, Michael Thomas, and this year, Emeka Egbuka.

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