ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Meet Chris Henry Jr., the son of a former NFL player, who forced Brian Hartline to offer an eighth-grader: Buckeyes Recruiting
Chris Henry Jr. forced Brian Hartline to do something he’d never thought he’d do as Ohio State football’s wide receiver coach.
“I feel honored,” Henry said. “I’m very thankful and blessed to receive this. Just makes me want to work harder.”
Henry is the son of Chris Henry, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver who passed away in 2009.
He’s since been living with his father’s former teammate, Adam “Pacman” Jones, while turning himself into an elite athlete. Now the world is about to find out about him, with the Buckeyes becoming the first offer from a major program and fifth overall.
The Ohio native already looks the part. He’s 6-foot-3, 170 pounds and has all the tools needed to be an elite wide receiver. His camp performance felt like you were watching what Marvin Harrison Jr. looked like at the age before his physical development caught up with his natural talent. Now Harrison looks to be on the verge of a breakout sophomore season for OSU in a loaded wide receiver room. He’ll provide an element at X-receiver that the program hasn’t had in a while as a bigger body — 6-foot-3, 205 pounds — capable of moving like someone much smaller.
Henry looks like he’s headed down that same path.
The 14-year-old is a member of the 2026 recruiting class headed to West Clermont High School as a freshman. He hasn’t had his first high school football practice, and yet he’s already made himself one of the hottest commodities in the state.
On Monday, he came to the Buckeyes campus looking to work with Hartline as he continues his development. By the end of the day, Hartline was so impressed that it was a no-brainer to offer him.
Hartline will tell you he doesn’t have a type. If you can get open and catch the ball, then he’ll look at you. If you can do something with it after you’ve caught it, then you’ll definitely have his attention. If you have all the basic elements, plus a special trait and can quickly take it from the meeting room to the field, more than likely, you can play at Ohio State.
That was the biggest takeaway Henry had from his first experience with the Hartline.
“I like how he was helping me throughout all the drills,” Henry said. “I think he liked my ability to track the ball down and my speed. That I’m a very coachable player.”
But Hartline got something out of it, too. As an assistant coach who’s made a habit out of locking in on his targets early, closing the deal and spending the rest of a cycle building a closer bond, he’s already found his first option in 2026. Henry joined defensive end Tyler Atkinson as players in that class with OSU offers, and both spent their time in Columbus showcasing their five-star potential.
Entire article: https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2022/...fer-an-eighth-grader-buckeyes-recruiting.html
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