The Ohio State football team has been trying to piece together its 2026 recruiting class over the last couple of days. While most of the class signed on Wednesday, two big pieces did not. After Brian Hartline announced that he was going to become the head coach at USF.
Hartline's departure made a couple of recruits pause their decisions. Most notably, Chris Henry Jr. Jerquaden Guilford, a four-star recruit from the state of Indiana, also decided to hold off on his decision to sign with the Buckeyes. Hartline's decision seemed to spook him.
While Henry Jr. continues to waffle on his collegiate decision, Guilford has decided what he will do for his future. He has decided that he will still sign with the Buckeyes, keeping his original commitment. Ohio State will be keeping one of the two elite recruits.
Ohio State football team will keep Jerquaden Guilford
Guilford announced his decision on social media.
Gods Plan https://t.co/MWzQWgSQVg
— Jerquaden“G2”Guilford (@QuayGuilford) December 4, 2025
Guilford stands at 6'3 and 190 pounds and is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has a good catch radius, runs good routes, and is very quick off the ball. He's a great receiver to have for Ohio State, even if they aren't able to keep Henry Jr. in this recruiting class.
It's unclear what this means for Henry Jr. Perhaps this means that there was more money to give to Guilford with Henry Jr. flipping his commitment. Or perhaps Ryan Day did a good job of explaining that Guilford would get developed in Columbus just as well as he would have if Hartline were going to stay.
Either way, the Buckeyes were able to keep one of their best recruits in this class. Now, they will wait to see if Henry Jr. signs with them before Friday, or if he decides to take the boatload of NIL money being thrown at him elsewhere.