Oregon Ducks working to flip nation's No. 1 recruit after surprise visit

Andrew Nemec | Mar 15, 2025

Chris Henry Jr. with Oregon coach Dan Lanning / Courtesy of Chris Henry Jr.

The Oregon Ducks made some major moves on the recruiting trail this week, hosting Nashville Christian School (Tennessee) five-star quarterback Jared Curtis and several top prospects for the first day of spring practices.

But one of the bigger storylines of the weekend came as a bit of an unexpected surprise.

On Friday, Mater Dei (California) five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., a long-time Ohio State Buckeyes commit, posted a series of photos to Instagram Live indicating he was in Eugene.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound pass-catcher is ESPN's No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2026.

While it's true Henry Jr. has been committed to Ohio State since July 2023, he has taken several trips to Oregon.

He has also scheduled four official visits - Miami (May 30), USC (June 6), Oregon (June 13) and Ohio State (June 20).

Luring Henry Jr. away from a future in Columbus may be a tall task, but Oregon has surged in recent years bringing in wide receivers.

After several consecutive years of big misses, culminating in the Oregon-to-Arizona flip of Tetairoa McMillan (2022), the Ducks have turned the tide.

In the past three recruiting cycles Oregon has landed a collection of elite pass-catchers - Jurrion Dickey, Jeremiah McClellan, Dakorien Moore and Cooper Perry.

Could Oregon find a way to pair Moore and Henry in the future?

Clearly, it's what Dan Lanning and Co. have in mind.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about Henry Jr. as a prospect:

"Henry missed most of his junior season with a knee injury. When healthy, he’s a an elite prospect with as much upside as any receiver in the class. At close to 6-6 and 195 pounds, Henry has tremendous length and flashes surprisingly agility and lateral quickness for a player his size. He’s explosive out of the gate, can stop and start on a dime, change direction and has a huge catch radius. He has the long speed to stretch the field and hit the home run combined with the size and sure handedness to be a go to guy on key third down situations. He’s dominant in the air on jump balls and as he continues fills out and gains strength, his game will take off to another level."

•

Prediction: Oregon Ducks in position to land nation's No. 1 athlete

•

Nation's No. 1 athlete on Oregon: 'Duck fans should feel great where they stand'

•

Jackson Cantwell, nation's No. 1 prospect, makes pro-Oregon Ducks pitch to fellow 5-star recruits

•

Oregon Ducks 'most definitely' an early favorite for nation's No. 1 athlete ahead of visit

•

Jackson Cantwell, nation's No. 1 overall prospect, sets commitment date, cuts list to 4

•

Kaden Henderson, nation's No. 1 linebacker, visiting USC Trojans this weekend

•

Oregon Ducks could add nation's top 2 prospects; Jazzy Davidson shines in Nike Hoop Summit: Recruiting roundup

•

Jackson Cantwell, nation's No. 1 prospect, sets crucial Oregon Ducks visit as decision nears

•

Did nation's No. 1 quarterback hint at Oregon Ducks lead? Here's the evidence

•

Elite wide receiver makes surprise return trip to see Oregon Ducks