Inside Ohio State's National Signing Day Disaster as Doubt Creeps Into Program
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The Ohio State Buckeyes began Wednesday with a ton of optimism surrounding their program.
Head coach Ryan Day and his squad are fresh off the 2024 National Championship, they are the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation, currently on a 16-game winning streak, possess roughly 10-plus draft picks on their roster, and they are likely going to repeat as Champions. Surely, they would bring in one of the best recruiting classes, right?
Wrong.
Ohio State had a crack in the dam as the early National Signing Day period kicked off, and it was that their offensive coordinator, Brian Hartline, was named the head coach of the USF Bulls. The response to that was a swift one as the Buckeyes immediately lost the commitments of wide receivers Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Legend Bey.
Bey is listed as an athlete but was slated to be a wide receiver in Columbus.
The KDW flip was not a total surprise, as the rumors began a few days ago that he was leaning to make the move to go to USC and stay closer to home. The Bey flip, however, has several weird rumors circulating that his mother wouldn't sign his paperwork if it wasn't for Tennessee.
Now, the big storyline that is hanging in the balance is that of wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.
The consensus No. 1 receiver in the 2026 recruiting class has been committed to Ohio State for a very long time and even showed up today to his National Signing Day with one Ohio State hat and the Oregon and USC hats with their logos embroidered upside down.
He was very clearly going all Buckeyes until the Hartline news fell. Henry has yet to sign his letter of intent, even though it was announced that he is a Buckeye. Many in the recruiting circles believe that Oregon is the leader in the clubhouse to land the five-star receiver.
I have not signed yet. Still trying to weigh my options due to coaching changes I just want to make the right decision for my future.
Gods plan
— Chris Henry Jr (@ChrisHenryJr) December 3, 2025
If the Buckeyes lose out on Henry Jr., the reality of the situation will kick in. Ohio State is hamstrung from a dollar perspective compared to some of the other major programs in the country.
The fact of the matter is that these recruits should look no further than Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio State program produces the most ready-made NFL prospects in the entire country. Just last year, they put 15 of their players into the league. That is an insane number and one that should be flaunted.
However, the main driver for most of these kids these days is the all-mighty dollar. When one thing changed in the Ohio State program, they immediately jumped ship, and that is a concerning truth.
The Buckeyes went from having the projected top-three recruiting class to one that may fall out of the top-10. At this point, they have just one five-star, 17 four-stars, and nine three-stars.
By no means is this Penn State levels of panic, but this should open the eyes of many. This is a crack in the dam, and one that the Buckeyes should not take lightly.
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