Ohio State QB Julian Sayin now has Chris Henry Jr. at his disposal

It must be nice to be Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin.

Not only does he have the talent on his own to be a Heisman Trophy candidate, but he has a plethora of weapons to work with in Columbus.

The biggest weapon is, of course, Jeremiah Smith, who is fresh off an All-American campaign that saw him catch 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. Smith is one of the best offensive players in the country and will very likely be a star in the NFL someday soon.

This spring, Sayin got to get to know a new wide receiver with immense potential, though. 

Chris Henry Jr. committed to the Buckeyes’ 2026 class and spent time this spring getting to know the offense and working alongside Sayin and Smith to prepare for the 2026 season.

Henry was a five-star recruit, ranked as the No. 2 wide receiver in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. 

The expectations are high for him heading into his freshman season, and his quarterback is already talking him up.

“I think he’s a great player,” Sayin recently said on “The Triple Option” podcast (h/t On3).  “Got a lot of potential and had a great spring this spring. It’s been fun to build that relationship with him and build that connection on the field.”

Expectations are high for Ohio State freshman WR Chris Henry Jr.

Henry will have to work just like any other freshman to get himself into the rotation at wide receiver, but there is reason to believe he can come in as a freshman and make a big impact — much like Smith did in 2024.

For a freshman wideout, the most important thing is getting to know the quarterback and what he likes to do with the football. Learning the playbook is vital and getting used to the speed of the college game is important too. Developing a connection with his quarterback is job No. 1 for Henry this offseason, though.

For what it’s worth, Sayin believes it will come with time. They’re going to put in the work on and off the field.

“Just getting the reps with him – whether it’s 7-on-7, whether it’s team,” Sayin explained. “And then, off the field, you’ve really just got to spend time with those guys, just building that connection. I think as an offense this spring, we’ve done a good job of spending time. We’ll continue that over the summer of just bonding and doing off-the-field team events, going out to eat, going out to do things.”

Henry’s father is the late Chris Henry, who played college ball at West Virginia before playing four seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Henry died in December of 2009 after falling out of the back of a moving truck during what was called a “domestic dispute” with his fiancée. That happened in Week 15 of the 2009 NFL season.

Henry was 26 when he died. Sadly, he was no stranger to trouble during his time in the NFL. He was arrested multiple times during his five-year NFL career.