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Dave Portnoy is publicly trying to flip a 5-star Ohio State football commit

The Michigan man has Ohio State fans upset by this.
ByBraulio Perez|
Ohio State Buckeyes commit Chris Henry Jr. of Mater Dei High School in California walks across the sideline prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeyes commit Chris Henry Jr. of Mater Dei High School in California walks across the sideline prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan fan favorite Dave Portnoy is trying to pull off a stunner with a beloved Ohio State football commit and people in Columbus surely can't be loving it. There was worry that 5-star wideout Chris Henry Jr. was potentially going to flip his verbal, but he canceled all of his other official visits earlier this year.

Portnoy doesn't care about that, as he's hoping Michigan will still make a run at trying to land him so that he can catch balls down the road from Bryce Underwood, an elite prospect Portnoy worked his magic to help Michigan sign.

This week, it was revealed that Larry Ellison, the huge UM booster who is the co-founder of Oracle, has passed Elon Musk as the richest man on the planet. Why does this matter? Because Portnoy is hoping that fact along with Oracle's stock price will appeal to Henry and other Michigan targets:

5-star Ohio State commit politely tells Oregon and Texas to take a hike

Dave Portnoy is hoping to flip 5-star Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. to Michigan

NIL has changed everything and nowadays the highest bidder is the one who lands a dream recruit. Portnoy and Ellison teamed up to get Underwood to Ann Arbor and something tells us they want to make the same happen with Henry. You can understand why Ohio State supporters are quite annoyed.

Thankfully for them, it doesn't seem like Henry is having a change of heart leading up to the Early Signing Period in December. Multiple times he has said that he's fully locked in with the Buckeyes and that he can't wait to suit up for Ryan Day and Brian Hartline.

After his fantastic Week 1 performance to open up his senior campaign, Henry was asked by Rivals' Marcus Benjamin about other schools still being in contact with him, with the 5-star playmaker saying Oregon and Texas are on the list. Despite that, Henry said it didn't matter who still reaches out, as he's set to play for Ohio State at the next level.

Portnoy is ready to help UM recruit, as nothing will be made official between Ohio State and the 6-5, 205-pounder until December at the earliest. Henry is ranked the No. 3 WR in the country and the No. 21 prospect nationally for the 2026 class.

He's Columbus-bound next year and he'll be joining a WRs room that will feature Jeremiah Smith and others. Barring a shocker of massive proportions, Portnoy, Ellison and the Michigan fanbase as a whole will have to get used to seeing Henry don Ohio State gear and post brilliant plays for the reigning national champs.

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