Chris Henry Jr. is already carving out a place in Ohio State’s receiver room, and the name on the back of his jersey carries a story that reaches far beyond campus. The freshman wideout has taken on an early role for the Buckeyes, and that continued presence is part of why he’s being watched so closely as the season goes on.
Henry made his first catch count. In Ohio State’s game against Ball State, he hauled in a 15-yard touchdown from quarterback Julian Sayin for the first reception of his Buckeyes career.
Chris Henry Jr.'s first catch and it's for SIX! @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/wJIMKslaDb
- FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 5, 2026
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Henry is the son of former West Virginia and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry. The younger Henry has now stepped into the same sport that shaped his family name, but his path to Columbus has been anything but simple.
His father, Chris Henry Sr., played three seasons at West Virginia from 2002-2004 and put together a huge stretch over his final two years there, piling up 1,878 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was then taken in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Bengals and spent five seasons in Cincinnati. In 55 games, he made 12 starts and finished with 119 catches for 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns.
But Henry Sr.’s NFL career was also marked by off-field trouble. The source says he was arrested five times from 2005-2009 and missed games because of suspensions from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, along with benchings from head coach Marvin Lewis. His life ended tragically in 2009, when he died at the age of 26.
In December 2009, Henry fell from the back of a moving truck driven by his then-fiancee, Loleini Tonga. An autopsy determined he died of blunt force trauma to the head. Tonga was never charged, and investigators found she was not driving recklessly or at excessive speed.
Later, in 2010, West Virginia’s Brain Injury Research Institute released a report saying Henry had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, throughout his career. That diagnosis was later confirmed by autopsy.
Chris Henry Sr. and Tonga had three children together: Chris Henry Jr., Seini and DeMarcus. Seini now plays volleyball at OSU.
Henry Jr. was raised by his mother in Charlotte, but Adam “Pacman” Jones also played a major role in his upbringing. Jones, who was a teammate of Henry Sr. at West Virginia and later played for Cincinnati, did not join the Bengals until after Henry’s death. Still, he stayed connected to the family and eventually became legal guardian of Chris and DeMarcus with his wife in 2021.
Jones also wanted to be part of Henry Jr.’s recruiting journey. The Athletic reported in 2023 that Jones had kept in touch over the years, helped take the boys to football camps and sent them gear, then pushed for them to move in with his family.
When Jones saw Slim’s two boys growing into their own without their father there to guide them - and starting to garner some serious attention from college programs - he knew they needed a voice in their ear. He’d stayed in touch over the years, checking in with their mother and hauling the boys to football camps, sending them endless boxes of Nike and Under Armour gear.
Still, he told himself, Slim would’ve wanted more. So Pac called.
“Y’all need to uproot and move up here with us,” he urged Loleini Tonga, the boys’ mother. “We’ll help you out.”
Henry Jr. was born in Charlotte, but his football roots were built in Ohio. He spent his freshman year at West Clermont High School in Batavia, Ohio, then moved to Withrow High School in Cincinnati after moving in with Jones and his family. He later finished at Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif., where he played his junior season.
The recruiting profile matched the hype. Henry was a five-star in the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2026, ranked No. 2 among wide receivers and No. 14 overall nationally. According to MaxPreps, he finished as a senior with 28 catches for 607 yards and six touchdowns in eight games after recovering from a knee injury he suffered in Oct. 2024 that ended his junior season early.
At Ohio State, he’s listed behind Jeremiah Smith on the receiver depth chart, with Smith at No. 1 and Henry at No. 2. The Buckeyes are expected to be among the teams in the College Football Playoff mix in 2026, and Henry’s early involvement gives them another high-end option to work with as the season unfolds.
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