At one point, he scheduled official visits to Miami, Oregon and USC. In the end they were cancelled. The Ducks, along with Texas, targeted him late before National Signing Day. He even delayed his signing, which was supposed to take place Wednesday, after OSU receivers coach Brian Hartline took the head coaching job at USF.
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The Ducks, in particular, pushed hard toward the end and made some big financial offers, according to multiple reports. But in the end, the opportunity to play close to home for a perennial national title contender was too good to pass up.
On Friday, he ended days of speculation and announced on the Pat McAfee Show that he would stay with OSU and sign with the Buckeyes.
Henry, an Ohio native, committed in July 2023. At the time, he was playing high school baseball in the Buckeye State. But before his junior season, he transferred to national powerhouse Santa Ana (California) Mater Dei. West Coast schools like USC and Oregon tried to open the door to his commitment, but despite some unofficial visits, he never relented.
He was sidelined for most of his junior season due to a leg injury and missed most of the summer recruiting camps and 7-on-7 events before his senior year. But completely healthy, he returned to form this fall at Mater Dei.
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Henry bounced back with a great senior year
In eight games, he caught 28 passes for 607 yards and six touchdowns, averaging more than 21 yards per reception. He made multiple high-level catches while playing in what is considered the toughest high school football conference in the country.
“I always knew what it was,” Henry told Rivals’ Adam Gorney last month. “I just feel like this season is showing other people what I could do. Because of the injury, a lot of people didn’t get to see me my junior year. I felt like I showed what I could do.”
The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder will sign as the No. 1 wide receiver in the country and No. 7 recruit nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, an equally weighted average using all three major recruiting services.
In doing so, he will become the third highest-rated wide receiver to sign with the Buckeyes since 2020.