Ohio State wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. may be listed as a freshman, but that label isn’t really fitting him these days. And that’s by design.
On Aug. 15, coach Ryan Day told reporters, via Lyle Alenstein of Eleven Warriors, that Henry is “not a freshman anymore,” pointing to what he’s shown on offense and special teams. Henry, who is only 19, said Saturday that the assessment matched the way he’s been approaching things from the start.
“Me and [Day] are thinking the same thing,” Henry said. “I had this mindset to come in and-I’m not trying to say I have an excuse for not playing because I’m a freshman. I had the mindset coming in that I was coming in to play.”
Henry is the lone true freshman among a group of Celsius NIL representatives for 2026 who spoke virtually with Sports Illustrated. Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood were the others, and Henry’s story stands out because his college career is still untouched. The Buckeyes, though, haven’t taken long to shape his focus.
He arrived from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., a program known for producing NFL talent, and quickly found out that Ohio State’s demands are just as relentless. The biggest lesson so far, he said, has been the grind.
“The long days [and] short nights, for real,” Henry said. “The preparation that really just goes into the season and preparing-I really just learned that preparation part.”
That work has come with a strong example right in front of him. Ohio State’s receiver room has been loaded in recent years, and Jeremiah Smith has been the standard. Smith has won the last two Big Ten receiving titles, finished sixth in Heisman voting a year ago and left a major impression on Henry.
“Just how he attacks everything. He attacks everything with a pro mindset, like how to take care of your body,” Henry said. “He’s really taught me a lot, just about how he studies, when he gets on the field with his mindset and stuff like that.”
Smith put up 1,315 receiving yards as a freshman, a huge number for anyone trying to follow at that position. Henry knows the bar is high, but his offseason habits suggest he’s taking the challenge seriously. He said he has passed on watching TV shows in his free time and instead focused on recovery and rest.
That kind of approach could put him in the mix for Ohio State’s opener against Ball State and beyond.
Henry’s path to this point also carries a family story. His father, Chris Henry, played wide receiver at West Virginia and for the Bengals before dying in 2009 after falling out of a moving truck during a domestic dispute with his fiancée.
He was 26. Chris Henry Jr. was 2 at the time.
One of the people who has helped guide him is former NFL receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who was a teammate of his father for most of that NFL career.
“He’s been a really good mentor to me-you know, with him playing with my father,” Henry said. “He’s been there ever since I moved out to [California], just helping me, putting me on game with certain stuff.”
Henry also said that when NIL money started coming in, he made sure to help his family first. “helping” my mom out with some things,” he said, while also setting aside money for himself to buy a Cybertruck.
He may still keep a few freshman habits - Chipotle and Waffle House are among his Columbus restaurant recommendations - but by Ohio State’s standards, he’s already being pushed to grow up fast. Henry says that’s exactly what he wanted.
“Ohio State-exactly like I thought. I’m into it,” Henry said. “I see the type of mindset we have, and how we attack every day, to be the best in the country every day.”
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