"For the culture, not the paycheck": Ohio State fans react as 5-star commit Chris Henry Jr. sends clear message to other schools

Five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. from Mater Dei High School has been committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes since July 2023. He chose the Ryan Day-led program over top schools like Miami, Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, Michigan, USC, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Purdue.

Despite Henry's commitment to the Buckeyes, other programs are still vying to flip his pledge. Rivals' Instagram page shared a quote from the talented receiver about teams still trying to recruit him despite his pledge.

The five-star recruit seems to be content with his choice and fixated on joining Ohio State.

"They're still coming but I let them know respectfully I'm not interested," Henry said, as per Rivals' Instagram post. "I'm really locked in with Ohio State and that's really it."

The post received a lot of buzz, especially from Ohio State fans who were understandably excited to learn that their star recruit isn't going anywhere. They flooded the post's comment section with love and appreciation for the 6-feet-5 athlete.

"Love dat dude!!! Go Buckeyes!!!" one fan said.

"Thats how you recruit. Get the guys who want to come to your school for the culture, not the paycheck," another fan commented.

"Teams rlly love them their osu wr commits," another fan commented.

"Already a Buckeye for life," another fan wrote.

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The Buckeyes were leading the race to land Henry right from the jump, as per On3. And they got their man, thanks to the program's offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, who led the five-star prospect's recruitment.

"WRU," one fan wrote.

"Need more recruits like this," another fan said.

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Chris Henry Jr. is ranked No.24 in the country and is the third-best wide receiver in the Class of 2026, as per On3. He is also the fourth-best recruit from the state of California.

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Chris Henry Jr. sheds light on his relationship with the Buckeyes' OC

Chris Henry Jr. spoke about his relationship with the Ohio State Buckeyes program's offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach, Brian Hartline, in an interview with On3 earlier this year.

"Honestly, I knew (Hartline) wasn’t gonna leave," Chris Henry Jr. said when asked about the rumors of Hartline leaving the Buckeyes. "We’re real close, we talk about every week. We always have good talks, chop it up, we’ve been building this relationship since eighth grade."

Henry is the Buckeyes' top-rated recruit from the Class of 2026, as per 247Sports. The program has landed 13 commitments so far and their Class of 2026 is ranked No.3 in the country, according to 247Sports.