Chris Henry Jr.’s Transfer to Mater Dei Not Expected to Impact Ohio State Commitment

Impact-Site-Verification: -106798224 Ohio’s top rising junior prospect is now California’s top rising junior prospect. Five-star wide receiver and Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. announced this week that he is enrolling at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.

Henry Jr. left Cincinnati Withrow in January and there had been plenty of speculation as to where he might end up. Now that part is known as the crown jewel of Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class heads to one of the nation’s premier programs.

There is a lot to like about this move if you’re an Ohio State coach or fan, the competition Henry will face will be the best in the nation, bar none and the development track record at Mater Dei speaks for itself. It’s also one more pro-Buckeye voice in the Mater Dei locker room as the Buckeyes continue to pursue big-time class of 2025 prospects Jordon Davison and Nasir Wyatt out of the powerhouse program.

But the move across the country and no longer being 90 minutes down the road from Columbus, could come with some concerns. Henry addressed that with BuckeyeHuddle.com this week.

“I’m still locked in with OSU and the way I feel about OSU has not changed,” Henry said.

These types of decisions don’t just happen overnight. Henry and his family took the necessary time to figure out the next step and the Ohio State coaches were kept in the loop each step of the way.

“Yes I have (been communicating with Brian Hartline and Ryan Day about the move),” he added. “They’ve been very supportive.”

Henry is an early Top 10 overall prospect in the 2026 class and while the move may entice some West Coast programs to become more aggressive in pursuing him, this is a national level recruit regardless of where he calls home. For now there appears to be no reason for concern on Ohio State’s end as Henry remains fully committed to Ohio State and continues to be active in recruiting for the Buckeyes.

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