Ohio State's Chris Henry Jr., son of former NFL WR, catches a TD on his first career collegiate reception

Chris Henry Jr.'s first Ohio State catch went for a touchdown.

The freshman wide receiver caught a 15-yard TD from Tavien St. Clair late in the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes' 56-3 win over Ball State. Henry, a five-star recruit, was one of the best players in the high school class of 2026.

The son of former NFL and West Virginia wide receiver Chris Henry originally committed to the Buckeyes in the summer of 2023. He was the top wide receiver in the country and the No. 11 player in the 2026 recruiting class. The only other player from California who was ranked ahead of Henry on signing day was Texas A&M cornerback Brandon Arrington.

Though he didn't get much playing time in the Buckeyes' season-opener Saturday, Henry is poised to be one of Ohio State's next star wide receivers. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State's current star wide receiver and a favorite for the 2026 Heisman, had eight catches for 151 yards and two scores in the first half before getting to watch the second half from the sidelines.

Smith struck Desmond Howard's Heisman pose after each of his touchdowns after Miami's Malachi Toney did the same thing following all three of his touchdowns in the Hurricanes' thrashing of Stanford on Friday night.

Overall, 14 different Ohio State players caught a pass against Ball State. Only five players had multiple receptions as backups got plenty of work.

Henry's father had nearly 1,900 yards over two seasons at West Virginia before he was a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2005. Chris Henry Sr. had a tumultuous NFL career that was plagued by multiple arrests and an eight-game suspension in 2007. In December of 2009, when Chris Henry Jr. was 2, the elder Henry died after he fell out of the back of a moving truck in the midst of a dispute with his fiancée. Chris Henry Jr. was one of three children the couple had together.

After Chris Henry Sr.'s death, his former West Virginia and Bengals teammate Adam "Pacman" Jones helped raise the children and Chris Henry Jr. lived with Jones and his family before he transferred to Mater Dei High School in California.