Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. shares his reaction as Dallas Cowboys complete a trade for George Pickens

Five-star Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. has shared his reaction to the news of the Dallas Cowboys' trade of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Henry shared the news, which broke on Wednesday, on his Instagram story with a spiral eye emoji, suggesting a confused state.

Chris Henry Jr's Instagram story (IG/chriishenryjr)

Pittsburgh traded Pickens to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick, and Dallas swapped a 2027 fifth-round pick for Pittsburgh’s 2027 sixth-round pick.

In April, Henry reassured Ohio State fans over his commitment to the program. He announced that his recruitment is shut down, while cancelling scheduled official visits to Oregon, USC and Miami.

“Officially shutting my recruitment down I'm 100% locked in and ready to work!! AGTG,” he wrote on X.

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Henry, the son of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry Sr, is the No. 3 wide receiver, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Notable for his combination of speed and size, he stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds. He contributed both in the offense and the defense as a freshman at Mater Dei High School, finishing the season as a MaxPreps Freshman All-American.

Chris Henry Jr. is joined in Ohio State's 2026 recruiting class by Mater Dei teammate

Ohio State scored another major win in the 2026 recruiting cycle when Kayden Dixon-Wyatt announced his commitment to the Buckeyes on Sunday. Dixon-Wyatt’s announcement ended any hope Oregon and Dan Lanning might have of landing the elite receiver. They had also hoped to get Chris Henry Jr. to flip before he closed his recruitment in April.

Dixon-Wyatt and Henry are teammates at Mater Dei and look set to continue their partnership in college. This explains his excitement following Dixon-Wyatt’s announcement on Sunday and his X post.

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Following their national championship triumph, Ryan Day and his staff will be looking to build a strong team for sustainable success. By the time Henry and Dixon-Wyatt join the team's offense in 2026, elite wide receiver Jeremiah Smith will be in his junior season. It will possibly be his last season with the Buckeyes.

The two next-generation Buckeyes will, therefore, have a season to play with and learn from one of college football's highest-rated receivers. As for Ohio State fans, they can rest assured that their wide receivers room will continue to possess the top quality it is so notable for.

About the author

Kayode is a College and High School Sports writer at Sportskeeda since June 2023. Hailing from Nigeria, he has an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and African Languages, and has previously had stints as an entertainment and politics writer for around 7 months. Adept at creating content around historical perspectives, he strives to report stories based only on verified information. His mantra is - truth is always more important than sensationalism.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Kayode admires how Nick Saban developed talent at the team and delivered consistent results, and hopes that the post-Saban era is just as fruitful. He is thoroughly impressed by Johnny Manziel’s talent, and feels that Shedeur Sanders is massively underrated. Nick Saban is his all-time favorite college coach.

While Kayode believes there is little to separate college and mainstream sports, pro leagues absorbing the best athletes leads to their quality being higher. Witnessing the Colorado Buffaloes’ hot streak at start the 2023 football season was one of his all-time favorite college sports moments.

When not writing, Kayode enjoys reading and watching sports documentaries. His most recent watch was "Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In."

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Edited by Ribin Peter