The first day of the Early Signing Period has come and gone, with Ohio State football fans still wondering what's going to end up happening with Chris Henry Jr. this week. As of this writing on Thursday morning, Henry remains unsigned, with Ohio State hanging on.
Why this was the right time for Brian Hartline to leave Ohio State
However, in addition to USC and Oregon, it looks like two more schools have entered the mix to try and get him to change his mind. According to Pete Nakos, Texas has put a sizable NIL offer on the table for Henry, hoping that playing with Arch Manning will get him to do some serious thinking. On top of that, USF is also in the mix after Brian Hartline accepted the head coach job there.
NEW — What We Know About Texas' Pursuit of 5-Star Receiver Chris Henry Jr.
— Justin Wells (@justinwells2424) December 3, 2025
Texas might not be finished. Details on the five-star, No. 1 WR in 2026.
LATEST, via @EricNahlin: https://t.co/vV1F1JFro8 (On3+) @InsideTexas @Rivals pic.twitter.com/lVTPQT1xED
Texas and USF are also trying to flip 5-star Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr.
With the Early Signing Period ending on Friday, it means there's still time for Henry to process things and then make his final decision. However, keep in mind that he can also decide to postpone things even further and sign with his team of choice in February if he thinks he still needs more time.
The more he pushes things back, though, the more nervous the Ohio State faithful are going to be that he'll be making a move to Columbus. It's clear that the Hartline news is something that he wasn't expecting, causing him to have second thoughts on if he wants to play for the reigning champs or not.
On Wednesday night, Jeremiah Smith sent a plea to Henry to sign with Ohio State with him so that the two can make plays with one another next season. The thought of Henry and Smith playing together is probably enough to keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.
Julian Sayin would be over the moon to add the nation's No. 1 wideout to the Ohio State offense too - the same could be said for Ryan Day. It's completely up in the air whether or not Henry will be a Buckeye, however, and that doesn't sit well with a lot of OSU supporters. After already losing Legend Bey and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for the '26 class, adding Henry to that list would be a disaster.