Ryan Day reveals what he said to Chris Henry Jr to retain commit

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Ryan Day reveals what he said to Chris Henry Jr to retain commit

Signing 2026 top wide receiver prospect commit Chris Henry Jr. became a difficult task for Ohio State when offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was named the head coach of USF on Dec. 3, the same day as signing day for college football recruits.

But regardless, coach Ryan Day made it happen, promising Henry that his development would be the same without Hartline in the building, revealing details on a Dec. 11 episode of “The Austin & Birm Show” on 97.1 The Fan.

After delaying signing with the Buckeyes for two days, Henry reaffirmed his commitment on Dec. 5, the last day of the early signing period.

How did Ohio State football and Ryan Day retain Chris Henry Jr.’s commitment?

Day and the coaching staff “really wanted” Henry, the top-ranked receiver and No. 10 prospect in the recruiting class per 247sports’ composite rankings. But the receiver held off on signing on Dec. 3, citing “coaching changes” in an X post most likely referencing Hartline’s impending departure.

“That’s a lot to process,” Day said. “I felt for Chris because now there’s a lot of noise out there, a lot of confusion, and to his credit he took a step back.”

Day commended Henry for showing maturity in his decision to delay and process his final decision. Henry had been verbally committed to Ohio State since 2023, before his sophomore year of high school at Mater Dei.

“We obviously let him know that nothing’s changed here other than the fact that we’re going to try and find the best coach in America to go coach you that we can, just like we’ve done before with other coaching changes and that everything else is still in place,” Day said.

Chris Henry Jr., Mater Dei wide receiver, soaks up the atmosphere of the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.

“We also gave him the space, too. [We] didn’t try to inundate him because this is his decision.”

After Henry revealed his final decision to stay with the Buckeyes, his family released a video of the prospect calling Day and confirming his commitment.

Day seemingly had a relieved reaction when Henry said he was “coming home” seconds after thanking the coach. Henry first attended high school in Cincinnati.

“Well, usually when they say, ‘I really want to thank you for recruiting me and for everything you’ve done,’ it usually goes the other way, so that was not a good feeling,” Day said. “… You could hear people screaming down the hallway, and so that was a cool experience.

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.

Henry is the son of late Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry. Henry ‘s sister, Seini Henry, is a redshirt freshman on the Ohio State women’s basketball team.

His youngest sibling, Demarcus Henry, is the No. 17 recruit in the 2027 men’s basketball recruiting class and has received an offer from Ohio State.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Ohio State coach Ryan Day retained top recruit Chris Henry Jr.

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