In what has been a wild sequence of events, Oregon could end up winning the biggest storyline of 2026 college football signing day. The Ducks are now favored to land five-star receiver Chris Henry Jr., who previously committed to Ohio State before withdrawing his decision following former offensive coordinator Brian Hartline's departure.

Henry had been committed to Ohio State since 2023, when Hartline recruited him to Columbus from Mater Dei High School. However, the esteemed offensive coordinator is now the head coach of USF, which poached him from Ryan Day's staff after Auburn hired Alex Golesh away from its program.

The coaching carousel has caused Henry to open up his options at the last minute. He is now projected to sign with Oregon by the renowned college football site Rivals.

Henry is reportedly eyeing Oregon and USC as his two primary options if he decides to stray from Ohio State. As of Thursday, the Ducks appear to have the edge.

Ironically, Oregon is also currently without an offensive coordinator. Will Stein has held the job for the last three years of Dan Lanning's tenure, but was recently hired to replace Mark Stoops as the head coach of Kentucky.

Henry is considered the best receiver in the class of 2026 by ESPN and the third-best by 247 Sports. Either way, he is a consensus five-star prospect and top-50 recruit of the class.

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Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. still weighing options

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads warm ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 1, 2025.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although Wednesday was National Signing Day, Henry still has time to make a decision. The superstar prodigy could technically wait until March to make up his mind and still be present for spring training camp.

Rumors of Henry switching his commitment began as soon as USF hired Hartline, but they were confirmed by CBS Sports' Tom Loy on Wednesday. Loy reported that Henry is “weighing his options” at Oregon and USC, which are two Big Ten programs closer to his current residence in Santa Ana, California.

Even without Hartline, Ohio State is still making a strong push to retain Henry's commitment. Day reportedly reached out to Henry in the last week to make one final sales pitch, according to Rivals. His point centered around the fact that nine receivers have developed into first-round NFL Draft picks under his tutelage, whilst Oregon has produced none in that frame.